|
 Log in |
Register
|
|
 Head To Head The Modern Antiquarian Stonehenge and its Environs Forum | Start a topic | Search |
202 messages | Select a forum: |
nigelswift wrote: If you/we don't keep plugging June it means we don't care. This site, of all places, ought to. IMHO the SH landscape shouldn't be subjected to new damage. But Historic England have recently decreed that important places shouldn't be damaged "unless there are important planning matters" and have re-defined conservation as "managing change". Plus we've found 20 lies about the tunnel so far. Search "yowling moggies". ;) Thanks Nigel, I do get the "yowling moggies" into my email account. This statement has been released by the Stonehenge and Avebury WHS FB page ... you've probably already seen it. The link at the bottom is also on the first post of this thread. Am about to make my comments there now but wanted to learn as much as possible first about the real impact of a short tunnel. "We would urge everyone to participate in the public consultation about the changes to the A303 at Stonehenge. The cost of this short tunnel is considerable, yet feeding those accessing the Stonehenge visitor centre from the A303 onto the Devizes to Salisbury A360, there would be inevitable tailbacks and make life worse for those villages and roads leading to the A360. A tunnel will offer no relief to local villages that need localised traffic calming measures, and robs thousands travelling westbound daily of one of the finest views in the country. The tunnel comes with a flyover at Countess Roundabout that crosses into the Stonehenge World Heritage Site (WHS), a raised section would tower 8 metres alongside the precious site known as Blick Mead, the road continuing to the barrow cemetery east of King Barrow Ridge and into a tunnel portal below the Stonehenge Avenue. Traffic having been speeded up, the noise and pollution on this stretch will affect everyone: from those walking the Avenue to Amesbury Abbey care home residents, and of course wildlife road kills increase with faster traffic. Rare bats have been found in this area recently, and the effect on the wildlife inhabiting Vespasian’s Camp will be exacerbated. We should also be concerned at the effect on the River Avon and its tributary the Till, which are important for aquatic wildlife as Special Areas of Conservation. At the other end, the location of the west tunnel portal threatens views of the winter solstice alignment from the stones and emerges alongside the RSPB’s special Normanton Down reserve, so the noise and pollution will ultimately ruin it and drive out the stone curlews. The new four lane western road affects Normanton Down barrow cemetery, including the famous Bush Barrow, and is imposed on the highly important group of Neolithic long barrows running from Normanton Gorse to Longbarrow Crossroads and back towards Stonehenge itself. Whilst removing the whole of the A303 from the Stonehenge World Heritage Site would have some advantages, this short tunnel of around half the width but with both portals inside - would be devastating. Only by making your opinions heard can this tunnel be changed!" https://highwaysengland.citizenspace.com/cip/a303-stonehenge/ Reply | with quote |  16th January 2017ce 14:03 In reply to: Re: Highways England Consultation - A303/Stonehenge (nigelswift)2 replies: Re: Highways England Consultation - A303/Stonehenge (tiompan) Re: Highways England Consultation - A303/Stonehenge (nigelswift) |
Messages in this topic: |