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Stonehenge protesters in second high court bid
Campaign group is seeking a judicial review of decision to greenlight £1.7bn tunnel scheme
Campaigners have lined the walls of the Royal Courts of Justice this week in a second bid to challenge the construction of a tunnel near Stonehenge.
The court case is part of a years-long battle to protect Stonehenge from the £1.7bn UK Government project. The Save Stonehenge World Heritage Site group is seeking a judicial review of the decision by transport secretary Mark Harper earlier this year to approve the scheme.
The tunnel, which is part of a wider scheme to erect a dual carriageway, was first approved by then-transport secretary Grant Schapps in 2020 but this decision was later overturned in a judicial review. Harper has approved the same scheme with minor modifications.
Angela Harding, a Stonehenge campaigner, said: “It is an important and sacred landscape both historically and archaeologically. There is invaluable history beneath the soil and if that is destroyed by a tunnel, it is gone forever. We need to save it for future generations.”
Unesco has raised concerns about the scheme, stating: “The presence of busy main roads going through the world heritage property impacts adversely on its integrity.”
This criticism comes in the wake of Liverpool’s loss of its World Heritage status in 2021, following what Unesco described as irreversible damage to the city's historic docklands.
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The Stonehenge case has caused concern in the UK heritage sector that the site's world heritage status could be revoked.
Mike Birkin, member of the Stonehenge Alliance, said: “This might put us in the unwelcome bracket of a country that has its world heritage status stripped from two sites. This sends a terrible message. If one of the wealthiest countries fails to protect the world’s most famous historical attraction, it’s an embarrassment.”
National Highways, the government agency responsible for road infrastructure, argues that the tunnel will bring much-needed traffic relief and boost the economy.
The agency says: "It will sort out a road that does not work for drivers or for people who live, work, and holiday in Wiltshire and the South West.”
The government first announced its plan to build the tunnel in 2017 but planning inspectors concluded it would cause irreversible damage to the historic site.
The hearing at the Royal Courts of Justice is due to conclude on Thursday and a verdict is expected at a later date.