They are a disparate bunch. Archaeologists, environmentalists, historians, transport experts, countryside campaigners and druids.
But they will come together in the Strand in central London on Tuesday with a common purpose: to stop the bulldozers from, in their mind, wreaking havoc at one of the UK’s most iconic sites.
They will try to convince the high court over three days that the government’s plan to build a two-mile road tunnel close to the great circle of Stonehenge will permanently disfigure a unique and globally important landscape.
“It’s David and Goliath stuff,” said John Adams, the chair of the Stonehenge Alliance, which has fought against the tunnel and other road projects around the stones for more than 20 years. Though lots of disciplines are represented, they lack the heft of the government machine. “We’re up against the might of the Department for Transport, National Highways and so on. We’re a small organisation – mostly retired people. But the court case is critical. It’s the only thing keeping the earth diggers away,” he said.
EDIT: Cut & Cover is no longer on the table. I am pretty certain it was back along.
Original response :-
I think (as an ex local) that a tunnel isn’t a bad idea per se. However the intention is to use cut and cover to construct it, which will be massively destructive - both to landscape and archaeology.
Perhaps a case could be made for reuse of the HS2 TBMs currently entombed near Euston station?
The A303 has always been a terrible road and there has never been anyone willing to commit to more than sticking plaster solutions at pinch points.
Oh shit, their doing cut and cover? That’s crazy!
The druids are right!
Edit: not sure this is correct? https://nationalhighways.co.uk/our-roads/a303-stonehenge/about-the-scheme/ indicates twin bore
Can you source the cut and fill bit - everything I can see says it’s twin bore: https://nationalhighways.co.uk/our-roads/a303-stonehenge/about-the-scheme/
Hmmm… Quite happy to sit corrected here. If they are using TBMs then other than where the west of the tunnel is going to be I don’t see a problem.
Was definitely going to be c&c originally but that may have been many years ago (the whole tunnel the A303 past Stonehenge thing has been going for 30 years or more).
I haven’t kept up with the project since moving away a few years ago.
Can you update your original comment then please. The cut and cover idea is unfortunately believable.
Cut and cover is probably a lot cheaper. The government has already cut back HS2 to save money, I doubt they would want to spend it elsewhere no matter how damaging the current A303 project is.
They’ve got to pay for those future tax cuts somehow, cultural and archeological heritage be damned.
Oh yes but they’re spending the money down south and they’re fine with that, it’s spending money in the north they are against.
The US and UK should swap governments for a few years. I don’t mean they systems, just the people. Over here they’re loathe to spend money in the south, and spend it all up north.