Outrage as Labour scraps ‘once in a generation’ chance to improve road | UK | News
The government has been criticized by local authorities for planning to scrap planning permission for a £1.7bn project “on one of the region’s most vital transport corridors”. Plans for the Stonehenge Tunnel, designed to reduce traffic near the World Heritage Site in Wiltshire, were suspended by Labor in July 2024, but the necessary permissions obtained by previous Conservative Party leaders remain in place. Authorities have now moved to cancel the development consent order (DCO) issued in 2023 for the section of the A303 from Amesbury to Berwick Down, which included the construction of a new ring road, viaduct and interchange, as well as a nearly two-mile tunnel near Stonehenge.
Ian Thorn, the Liberal Democrat leader of Wiltshire Council, condemned the move as “completely unacceptable, particularly as the Government has done nothing to facilitate early discussion on an alternative solution”. “This ignores years of planning, consultation and investment and throws away a once-in-a-generation opportunity to improve one of the region’s most vital transport corridors.” Desk. The government estimated the scheme would cost £1.7bn in 2019, but rising inflation in the intervening years means this figure could now rise to well over £2bn.
Mr Thorn warned that outright rejection of the project would lead to “far-reaching consequences”, including “dooming local communities to perpetual traffic congestion and smuggling”.
“This would undermine efforts to unlock jobs and investment in Wiltshire and the wider south-west,” he added. “It wastes public money and existing infrastructure, compromising the environmental benefits that could be achieved, and also delays future progress by forcing the entire process to start from scratch.
“This isn’t just a setback; it’s a complete step back for a region with a significant lack of government investment compared to other parts of the country. Wiltshire deserves better, the southwest deserves better and we will continue to fight for the infrastructure our communities need and deserve.”
Although the project has been controversial since the late 1990s when it was first proposed, organizations including the National Trust have supported the idea of providing an alternative to the “damaging” surface road running through the historic site.
A spokesman for the conservancy said after Rachel Reeves announced the program would be paused last year: “There are of course difficult decisions to be made when it comes to national spending plans, but we regret missing the opportunity to reconnect this globally important landscape and significantly improve the experience of millions of visitors to this unique site.”
The Department for Transport said “exceptional circumstances” made it “appropriate” to cancel planning permission.
“Given the difficult financial situation we inherited, we have had to make difficult decisions on a number of road projects because they were not funded or unaffordable,” a spokesman said.
“We are committed to investing in projects that benefit taxpayers and stimulate growth, which is why we are investing nearly £5bn in our strategic road network this year alone to support its maintenance, development and deliver smoother journeys.”
