HANDOUT / from Highways England of the stonehenge road tunnel proposalCredit: Not known clear with picture deskPLANS for a brand new tunnel under an iconic British monument have officially been scrapped after £180 million was already spent.
The has binned a project that would have seen a tunnel built underneath Stonehenge.
Plans for a brand new tunnel under Stonehenge have officially been scrappedCredit: Free for editorial use
£180 million had already been spent on the projectCredit: Alamy
Plans were approved for the scheme in 2023 which would have seen a two-mile tunnel built on the A303 in .
Had they been given the green light, the scheme would have also included two junctions and a northern bypass in an area designated as a World Heritage Site.
But despite the government securing a development consent order (DC0) until 2028, the plans were scrapped in 2024 for financial reasons.
The costs for the tunnel had already reached £179.2million.
Secretary, Heidi Alexander, made the decision to bin plans due to “exceptional circumstances” and the DCO has now been revoked.
Caroline Nokes, MP for Romsey and North, told Metro : “The A303 remains the gateway to the West Country, and an important strategic route going past the world’s most famous prehistoric monument is not an ideal combination.”
She admitted the decision would come as a disappointment to some local residents who have concerns about congestion in the area.
But it marks a victory for campaigners such as Mike Birkin, acting chairman of the Stonehenge Alliance, who said it would have caused “enormous damage”.
“The granting of the DCO was always perverse, given the enormous damage it would have caused to the unique landscape of the Stonehenge World Heritage Site,” he said.
Instead, the group want to see the money put aside for the scheme invested into local infrastructure and transport networks.
The plans would have seen a two-mile tunnel built on the A303 in WiltshireCredit: PA
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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