Some Thoughts on the Great Stonehenge Debate
There has been much argument and a marked polarisation of views recently on the question of what to do about that well-loved icon of British pre-history, Stonehenge. The principal issue seems to be the congestion on the nearby A303 (the ‘road to the sun’ as it often prosaically called) and how to relieve it. Users of this busy single-carriageway arterial cross-country road linking the M3 with the A30 to the East of Exeter regularly endure tailbacks several miles long around Stonehenge during the peak holiday season. The fact that has been allowed to remain a two-lane road in this day and age almost beggars belief, and a relief road scheme is urgently needed. (see Figure 4) A bypass of some description has been under consideration for the last 50 years, but until very recently no progress had been made, due largely to the efforts of the environmental lobby. Several news outlets reported last week that the plans for a road tunnel, originally approved in 2020 then challenged in the