 both English
and the National Trust to improve visitor access and awareness of Stonehenge
in its landscape setting by closing the A344, proposing a Visitor Centre
outside the World Heritage site, building a tunnel for the A303 (as a
dual carriageway) and allowing free access to the landscape.
2. The UK government and its advisers should be congratulated
on aiming for the highest possible standards in the presentation of World
Heritage Sites and the standards set at Stonehenge should be exemplary.
These standards should include minimising damage to existing and well
preserved archaeological sites and minimising the impact on the landscape
if any construction works are planned. The Society supports the principle
of minimal risk to any protected ancient monument and would thus support
the exploration of more options (in terms of construction and funding)
than the single option of the cut-and-cover tunnel now proposed .
3. The Society believes it is essential that there should
be an independent assessment of the cost of a long-bored tunnel to act
as a comparison for the proposed cut-and-cover tunnel. The destruction
13.5 hectares of of the most archaeologically sensitive land surface in
Europe, within a World Heritage Site, may be something which future generations
will find hard to understand.
4. The implications of the proposed new road schemes
within the World Heritage Site will also have a considerable impact on
towns and villages outside the WHS and the Society would welcome further
consultation on these schemes.