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Avebury

Circle henge

News

Bonds Garage housing development


"The continued destruction of prehistoric monuments is a fact which I am sure we all deeply regret, and which reflects little credit on us as a nation. This year a portion of "Abury", the grandest monument of its kind in this country (perhaps in the world), was actually sold for building purposes in cottage allotments."

Sir John Lubbock speaking to the Anthropological Institute on 15th of January 1872.

"Recently the current statutory guardians of Avebury, English Heritage, expressed their opposition to the development of the site of the adjacent Bonds Garage for housing yet then failed to exercise their available powers towards it, thus allowing building to go ahead – which it will shortly – thus blighting the northern approach to Sir John's 'grandest monument of its kind in this country (perhaps in the world)' forever."

More here - http://heritageaction.wordpress.com/
Littlestone Posted by Littlestone
8th August 2009ce
Edited 8th August 2009ce

Comments (1)

Well the site is lying dormant at present because of the recession. I understand, however, that once planning permission has been granted then building can start at any time in the future. I have a certain amount of ambivalence regarding this issue as the 5-house project replaces an existing building and is adjacent to another large house; there is a buffer of a tree plantation and a field between the proposed development and the henge.

The Coate development was to take place on the green fields which feature in so much of Richard Jefferies work, greatly loved by many people, and for no other reason (although there are many) it deserved preserving. Jean Saunders from the RJ Society has fought for 20 years to protect the land. The Great Western Hospital was built on a corner of it (its proximity to the motorway has no doubt saved many lives) on the condition that no further building took place on the land. This promise was later reneged on and the Coate campaign fought on valiantly when there seemed little hope of ever winning. I understand something in the region of 55,000 signatures were collected against the development. Jean is a local hero in my eyes; co-ordinating a protest campaign is hard and thankless work but it may not be too late to start one about the Bonds Garage development if you feel strongly enough. However, I suspect planning permission would be difficult, if not impossible, to overturn once granted.

Perhaps energies should be channelled into ameliorating the impact of the site by pressing for effective landscaping to conceal the development from the view of road and henge.
tjj Posted by tjj
9th August 2009ce
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