Prehistoric Society Response to English Heritage re Stonehenge

1. The Society supports the approach taken by both English and the National Trust to improve visitor access and awareness of Stonehenge in its landscape setting by closing the A344, proposing a Visitor Centre outside the World Heritage site, building a tunnel for the A303 (as a dual carriageway) and allowing free access to the landscape.

2. The UK government and its advisers should be congratulated on aiming for the highest possible standards in the presentation of World Heritage Sites and the standards set at Stonehenge should be exemplary. These standards should include minimisingdamage to existing and well preserved archaeological sites and minimising the impact on the landscape if any construction works are planned. The Society supports the principle of minimal risk to any protected ancient monument and would thus support the exploration of more options (in terms of construction and funding) than the single option of the cut-and-cover tunnel now proposed .

3. The Society believes it is essential that there should be an independent assessment of the cost of a long-bored tunnel to act as a comparison for theproposed cut-and-cover tunnel. The destruction 13.5 hectares of the most archaeologically sensitive land surface in Europe, within a World Heritage Site, may be something which future generations will find hard to understand.

4. The implications of the proposed new road schemes within the World Heritage Site will also have a considerable impact on towns and villages outside the WHS and the Society would welcome further consultation on these schemes.

5. The detailed proposals for the Visitor Centre (both as a concept and in detail) have yet to be announced and they are an integral part of the future for Stonehenge, not least because of the need for a drop-off point at Fargo, changes to Byway12 and other boundary changes. The Society would welcome further consultation of Management Plan as it develops, in particular over provisions for visitor management.

6. The future for Stonehenge has to be seen in a very long term context so that future generations will not have to make further dramatic alterations to a very sensitive landscape. Short-term requirements and aspirations (including costs) have to be weighed against these long-term expectations. The Society would welcome an open debate on the options being discussed for the new Visitor Centre and the ways in which (and the road proposals) might be funded.

Prehistoric Society, February 1999