'Fantasy' to expect U-turn on Stonehenge tunnel

Almost £200m has already been spent on the now-scrapped tunnel

Campaigners who fought against plans for a road tunnel near Stonehenge have supported a government proposal to revoke permission for it.

The controversial proposals for the A303 in Wiltshire were originally granted permission in 2023, but the scheme - which had already had £179.2m spent on it - was scrapped last year due to finances.

Leaders of the Stonehenge Alliance have called it a "fantasy" to imagine that the government would reconsider investing in the scheme in this "current economic climate".

However, four councils have come together to condemn ministers' move to revoke permission, saying it is a "step backwards" for growth.

Despite the axing of the scheme, the power to build the tunnel – called a development consent order – currently remains in place following approval by the previous Conservative government.

But the Department for Transport (DfT) has issued a draft revoking order, with a consultation until 21 November, before a final decision is made.

The tunnel plan was debated for decades

In a joint statement, the leaders of Dorset, Somerset, Wiltshire and BCP (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole) councils, called the government move a "damaging and short-sighted decision that disregards years of planning, consultation and investment.

"This is a major step backwards for the Wessex area and beyond," they said.

Councillor Ian Thorn, leader of Wiltshire Council, told BBC Radio Wiltshire the plan would be good for residents and business going through Wiltshire to the rest of the region.

He said heavy congestion on the A303 slows industry growth.

"This government is all about growth, but if it wants to see growth, it's got to put it's money where it's mouth is and sadly that's not what it's done here in relation to the Stonehenge tunnel," he said.

The Stonehenge Alliance said it agreed the area needs more investment, but an alternative solutions should have been looked at.

Mike Birkin, acting chair of the group, called the world heritage site a "landscape without parallel".

"It's really a weight off the future of the Stonehenge world heritage site if this planning permission is revoked," he added, explaining that to have the permission "hanging over it" would not be "good for the protection of the site".

"In the current economic climate, it is a fantasy to imagine that government would want to invest in this scheme," a group spokesperson added.

It references a report by the National Audit Office in 2019, which said the benefits of a tunnel were "uncertain".

Stonehenge was declared by Unesco to be a world heritage site of outstanding universal value in 1986.

A DfT spokesperson said "exceptional circumstances" make it "appropriate" to make a proposal to revoke permission.

The department has said before that "difficult decisions" had to be made about a number of road projects due to the financial challenges the government is facing.