Controversial Stonehenge Tunnel Project Axed by British Government

Despite a United Nations agency’s refusal to intervene, the incoming British authorities has canceled the arguable program to physique a road passageway nether Stonehenge.

Addressing a league of the House of Commons connected Monday, British Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves announced the government’s volition to axe the postulation project. Had it been completed, the works would person seen a passageway tally nether a information of the past ruins’ site. Advocates claimed the task would amended postulation travel successful the country and reconstruct tranquility to Stonehenge by eliminating the show and dependable of cars. Highway A303, known for its predominant congestion, has agelong been a bottleneck, causing important delays and vexation for travelers.

But critics pushed back, saying the road strategy had been pushed done without due nationalist consultation and would person threatened the site’s geology. Stonehenge, whose hugeness shouldn’t beryllium understated, dates backmost to 3700 BCE and remains an important archeological site, with caller discoveries continuing to this day. UNESCO declared it a World Heritage tract successful 1986 owed to its taste and humanities significance.

Reeves cited concerns implicit the highway’s outgo successful her announcement, saying it was among a fig of “unaffordable” transport projects. The Labour Party defeated the Conservatives successful the July 4 election.

John Adams, seat of the conservation radical Stonehenge Alliance, which battled the road plans for years, hailed the determination arsenic “a vindication of each the enactment of truthful galore radical implicit truthful galore years from supporters astir the world,” arsenic helium said successful a statement. The Conservatives approved the thought successful 2017, but the thought for a passageway dates backmost to 1989, according to Dan Hicks, a prof of archaeology astatine the University of Oxford. 

The Stonehenge Alliance claims that the roadworthy strategy would connection minimal, if any, economical benefits. At the aforesaid time, the radical maintains that uncovering alternate solutions to amended postulation successful the country should stay a priority.

Stonehenge Tunnel Project present OFFICIALLY SCRAPPED! The determination has conscionable been made by Chancellor @RachelReevesMP arsenic portion of her bid to capable a £22 cardinal 'black hole' successful nationalist finances she claims the @Conservatives person left. pic.twitter.com/nDJBL7tr72

— Stonehenge U.K (@ST0NEHENGE) July 29, 2024

The program to modify road A303 faced galore barriers implicit the years, including galore judicial challenges. Most recently, conservationists had asked UNESCO to adhd Stonehenge to its List of World Heritage successful Danger, a petition the U.N. bureau denied.