The British government on Friday approved the construction of a tunnel near the prehistoric site of Stonehenge (south-west England), a controversial project that was suspended two years ago after the judiciary found it illegal.
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Transport Secretary Mark Harper approved the project.
A prior permit had been revoked due to the environmental impact of the road project, which cost £1.7 billion (almost €2 billion) on the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The tunnel, which is about three kilometers long, is intended to relieve an important east-west road axis and has been sharply criticized by several associations that are part of the Stonehnege Alliance group.
At the end of July 2021, the judiciary had ruled the project illegal because then Transport Secretary Grant Shapps had not considered an alternative solution, although he was required to do so by the status of the classified site.
The government had given the project the green light in autumn 2020, although a panel of urban planning experts warned against it, warning that it risked causing “permanent and irreversible damage” to the archaeological site.
Unesco had warned that if the project were implemented, the prehistoric site, which has been a World Heritage Site since 1986, would be included in the list of “endangered” sites and risk losing its World Heritage status forever.
Stonehenge was gradually built between about 3,000 and 2,300 BC. It is one of the most important prehistoric megalithic monuments in the world due to its size, ingenious plan and architectural precision.
Its standing stones, forming a series of mysterious circles, attract thousands of people to the pagan festivals of the solstice each year.
In the 64-page document approving the project, Transport Secretary Mark Harper believes the impact on the landscape will be reduced and needs to be weighed against the benefits to the public.
The main road that will use the tunnel, the A303, is congested during holiday travel to and from the south and west.
“This saga seems as old as the stones themselves and it’s not over yet,” responded Steve Gooding, director of the Motorists’ Association’s RAC Foundation, in anticipation of fresh appeals.
Since 1991, dozens of projects have succeeded in improving traffic flow in the region, he recalled.