Campaigners vow to 'fight on' after Stonehenge tunnel gets go ahead

The decision to approve the A303 Stonehenge Tunnel scheme has been labelled as "shocking and shameful" by campaigners.

The Stonehenge Alliance, who have been calling on the government to reject the plans, say the plans being given the green light will send shockwaves around the world.

A statement from the group say they are currently getting legal advice before they take any more steps.

There is now a six-week period in which the decision may be challenged in the High Court.

Tom Holland, Alliance President, said:

"This is a shocking and shameful decision. A supposedly Conservative government, advised by the Planning Inspectorate to cancel the scheme, has decided instead - at a time when COVID has already blown its budgeting to pieces - to proceed with a £2 billion white elephant.

The decision to inject a great gash of concrete and tarmac into Britain’s most precious prehistoric landscape is one that ranks simultaneously as spendthrift and sacrilegious. We shall continue to oppose it as vigorously as we can."

FAR FROM OVER

Salisbury druid, King Arthur Pendragon, has also shown his dismay at the decision.

He says he's baffled by the news, after it recommended that the government actually reject the plans.

Arthur explained to Greatest Hits Radio why he wants the project to be overturned:

"Not only was the decision made yesterday, but also what was made available was the recommendations from the examination authority and the Planning Inspectorate told the government to not go ahead with the plans.

There are three major objections to this particular tunnel and it can be summed up quite simply as the east and the western portals. At the one end you've got light pollution caused by the cut where the tunnel goes in, what they've done is put in the western portal virtually where the sun sets at the Winter Solstice which is one of the observatories that Stonehenge is made for. Now apart from that, at the other end there's irreversible damage going to be done due to the archaeological finds that they haven't even found yet in and around Blick Mead.

It's also a stupid place to put it because of the aquaflows and what damage is done to the water in the area.

I want what's best for Salisbury, I want them to do something about the bottleneck at Stonehenge, I've always said that it needs sorting but this isn't the way to do it."

King Arthur vowed that this story is far from over and may result in protests depending on how their challenge goes.