Prime Minister urged to abandon Stonehenge tunnel scheme
Campaigners have written an open letter to Boris Johnson over 'damaging' plans
The Stonehenge Alliance has written an open letter to the Prime Minister asking for the dualling of the A303 through Stonehenge World Heritage Site to be abandoned.
It comes after the High Court quashed development consent for the £1.7bn scheme which involves putting the road through a 2 mile (3.2km) tunnel.
Campaigners argue that the world has changed since the project was first conceived.
UNESCO has warned that Stonehenge could be placed on the World Heritage in Danger List if the scheme goes ahead in it's current state.
The impact the tunnel would have on the landscape was raised by planning inspectors in 2019 who recommended it was refused.
The letter also highlights concerns over the rising costs of the scheme along with the £7m in maintenance each year and the large amount of carbon emissions it would generate.
The Alliance wants the Government to conduct 'a full and open assessment of alternatives to the road scheme' with the aim of not only enhancing the World Heritage Site but 'reducing road traffic and road emissions, and providing real alternatives to the car.'
It says more than 200,000 signatures on a petition calling for the tunnel plans to be dropped shows that people are "overwhelmingly" against the plans.
John Adams OBE, Alliance Chairman, said:
"The climate is changing – both literally and towards this highly damaging road scheme. We need a new approach that improves people’s access to the South West without damaging the WHS or increasing carbon emissions. We need to give people real choice and that means investing in a better and fully integrated public transport network and other measures. Building a bigger road will just create more traffic and more congestion problems in Devon and Cornwall. Now is the time to seize the moment to forge a new path for transport and heritage policy in the UK."