The Stonehenge tunnel has been one hell of a saga. A two-mile tunnel under the landmark got the go-ahead in 2017, was blocked by the High Court in 2021, reapproved by the government in 2023 and earlier this year, a legal bid by campaigners to have it blocked a second time was dismissed. Now, after all that back and forth, it’s officially been scrapped.
The new Labour government has cancelled £2 billion project, calling it a ‘low value, unaffordable commitment’. So, that’s the end of that.
Wiltshire Council has expressed disappointment at the decision. It backed the tunnel as a means of easing congestion on the A303 between Amesbury and Berwick Down, which runs close to Stonehenge, and reducing journey times.
The scheme was also supported by Historic England for its potential to move busy, noisy traffic away from view of the world heritage site.
Campaigners, however, have welcomed the news. Tom Holland, historian and president of the Stonehenge Alliance, added: ‘This is wonderful news. This entire monstrous project, a proposal to drive a gash of concrete & tarmac through our most sacred prehistoric landscape, should never have got off the drawing board.’
Still, the Alliance acknowledges the need to improve the state of traffic in the area. John Adams, chair of the Stonehenge Alliance: ‘Now that it has been scrapped, we need to move on. As soon as the budget is there, we need to ensure, as a priority, that local traffic is better managed and rail access to the southwest improved.’
Did you see that Edinburgh’s legendary Summerhall has been saved… for now?
Plus: The UK just got a brand-new UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out UK newsletter for the latest UK news and the best stuff happening across the country.