"one of the most important archaeological finds since Stonehenge. " but they can encase it and stick a road over it. Great.
I wish I could see the video. I #d like to know how they know it's a snake and not something else wavy and long.

Press release: Why bury Herefordshire's Stonehenge under concrete?
Rotherwas Ribbon must be protected and road building stopped
www.rotherwasribbon.com

A Herefordshire Councillor is leading a surge of anger against Herefordshire Council from local to global levels for the secretive way in which it has made a decision to concrete over the now famous 'Rotherwas Ribbon' – something the council's own archaeologist has described as having international significance. (1)

Green Councillor Gerald Dawe, whose ward includes the now world-famous 'Rotherwas Ribbon', has described the proposal to concrete over this hugely significant find as “cultural vandalism of the highest order.”

“The first I knew about this decision was on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, yet I am the ward councillor. Decision-making is again going on behind closed doors. A clique in the Council appear to have known about this find for a long time. Why are they excluding the Herefordshire public yet again?”

“It is appalling that democratically elected councillors and the general public have been kept in the dark. Allowing only 200 people to view it for a few minutes this weekend is completely inadequate. We need council leaders to involve the whole council and local people in coming up with a more imaginative solution than burying Hereford's Stonehenge under concrete."

Cllr. Dawe has asked Council officials if English Heritage knew and if so when? He has also asked: "How long has the importance of the site been known, which councillors knew about it and when, and who has made the decision to concrete over the find and keep this decision secret from both the public and their elected representatives?" Cllr. Dawe is still waiting for a reply.

“With such a significant find we must immediately pause the building of this road to allow further research and a national discussion about what can be done. The road will cost ￡12.5 million yet as a county we earn ￡170 million from tourism. The Stonehenge and Salisbury Tourism partnership say this could bring revenue to Hereford and they are right.(2) So why on earth would we pour concrete over it?”

“This expensive road is for a small number of lorries to an industrial site when access could have been improved in cheaper and less damaging ways. The Council have gone against the government, the planning inspector and their own consultants to build a road which is completely unnecessary when other local industrial sites remain half empty.”(3)(4)

Campaigners are calling for road building to be paused allowing for full – and national - democratic debate on the best way of using the discovery for the whole country, and to the benefit of Herefordshire's economy. Cllr. Dawe said: “The economic benefit of the road needs urgently to be measured against the positive economic benefit of increased tourism.”

It is understood that 12 eminent archaeologists from English Heritage are visiting next week and that the Regional Director of English Heritage believes the Ribbon to be of great importance.(5)

Nigel Swift, Chair of the UK-wide group Heritage Action, said: “We are appalled. Our immediate reaction is that this isn't a matter for local politics but should be out in the open. The Ribbon would appear to be a prime candidate to be scheduled by English Heritage. Until there is a clear understanding about this the road must be halted.” (6)

Cllr. Dawe added “The Council's Good Environmental Management (GEM) strategy states '...sustainable development challenges especially pertinent to Herefordshire include protecting and enhancing it's outstanding landscape including sites and species of national, regional and local importance and minimising loss of biodiversity.' (7) This find is not only local, and regional, it is nationally and internationally significant. I urge our Council to follow their own policies and start conserving instead of destroying.' (8)

Supporters are urged to visit www.rotherwasribbon.com to register their support, find out more, and take further actions.

Rob Hattersley
Herefordshire Green Party Press Officer
07969 692534
[email protected]

From:
http://www.smr.herefordshire.gov.uk/news_events2/RotherwasNews2.htm

As soon as its significance was fully realised, it was decided to preserve the 'Ribbon' below the road.

The extra cost of this operation will be borne within the project costs, but will be offset by a reduced need for further archaeological investigation.

Application of slumpy like logic here methinks.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hereford/worcs/6285224.stm

Come on, schedule it!

.....and leave your own comment:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/herefordandworcester/content/image_galleries/rotherwas_ribbon_gallery.shtml?1

There has been (at least) 2 TV reports on BBC Midlands Today, the last was monday or tuesday, that being the 9th or 10th. There was 2 councillors one against the road as a result of the discovery in tow with a retired council archaeologist who were clearly seeking a moratorium, and the other who stated that the proposed road will 100% go through, and words to state that exposure to the elements will result in erosion. If there has been a timetable to decide on viewing all the issues then this statement by the councillor in being premature may be highly contentious, and call his ability to hold office into question. Can this be an appropiate use of the Freedom of Information act in order to put severe pressure on English Heritage and Hereford Auth to expose any possible Gimcrackery. I think there is great scope to cause maximun embarrassment, and get laid into the local Bulls Lions and freemasons.

Exposure to the elements? Yea! that means that the ancients took all precautions to lay a blinding of sand, topsoil and turf to save it for future generation.

What a loade of Piddle and piffle

There was someone on the train this morning with a newspaper report about folk protesting and being arrested at the council offices.

I kept trying to read it but was getting funny looks (that happens a lot!), so I have no idea what it said.

VBB

Lucky enough to be visiting the serpent on Tuesday afternoon. Thought I migh mosy around other monuments in the area first, but don't know the area at all. Any suggestions?

If anyone is visiting over the week end and happen to have a gps with them could they please send in the grid ref .

Rooting around the web I came across Planning Policy Guidance 16: Archaeology and planning, the document that should be informing the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, English Heritage and Herefordshire Council when coming to their challenging decision over the Rotherwas Ribbon.

http://www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1144057

It is certainly an interesting read when you apply it directly against the real-world case of the Ribbon.

In para 27:

As stated in paragraph 8, where nationally important archaeological remains, whether scheduled or not, and their settings, are affected by proposed development there should be a presumption in favour of their physical preservation in situ ie, a presumption against proposals which would involve significant alteration or cause damage, or which would have a significant impact on the setting of visible remains.

I do hope this clear-cut guidance for a presumption in favour is taken into account by the decision makers.

Also para 31 (Discovery of Archaeological Remains during Development):

Developers may wish to consider insuring themselves against the risk of a substantial loss while safeguarding the interest of historic remains unexpectedly discovered on the site.

Well that's Herefordshire Council (and McAlpine) sorted financially regarding any change of plan to the road. They are insured I hope?

This whole conundrum, of developers uncovering sites then allowing archeaos in to have a look then the site gets covered /trashed as opposed to nothing said and the sites gets lost or in exceptional cases the work is cancelled , is based on a fine line of trust between the parties . This case may tip the balance , regardless it can only get more interesting . The new government home building initiative will produce lots of similar cases .

and now they've left it uncovered in all the rain...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hereford/worcs/6912238.stm

Here is the estimated position of the serpent shown on Google Earth with the proposed road plans overlayed:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1399/926370175_52a13f8642_o.jpg

Did anyone attend the local meeting last night?

http://www.24dash.com/localgovernment/25365.htm

“From the start the council has been open and transparent about the Rotherwas Ribbon find "

That's just not true.

"Although recent floods and bad weather caused erosion to surrounding areas, the passage of water across the Ribbon itself was safely channelled through existing land drains over the cracked stone pathway."

I've been. That's a bare faced lie.

What can you do? Nothing.

http://www.herefordtimes.com/mostpopular.var.1653857.mostviewed.heritage_will_not_halt_new_road.php

If anyone can explain how the decision is consistent with the criteria for scheduling or protecting as laid out as their duty in the Act then a small prize is available...

I suppose there's as much chance of THEM explaining it as there is for them explaining the statutory justification for their support for the Stonehenge scheme and the Silbury capsule.

Just thought I would resurrect this topic. How is the road coming along?

I hear that a flint knife was found looking at the BBC red button regional news