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Stonehenge tunnel campaigners win court battle

So what was/is the threat to Stonehenge from this tunnel? I thought moving sight and sound of busy road traffic away from the monument would be a good thing. Why isn't it?
 
Because Stonehenge may be next UK site to lose world heritage status if the tunnel and new road went ahead.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news...be-next-uk-site-to-lose-world-heritage-status
That link doesn't explain 'why', just that it could put the status of the world heritage site at risk. This one does explain, though.

TL;DR: it's not that the tunnel itself is the problem, it's that the specific proposal is the usual UK cost-cutting half measures. UNESCO wants a proper, bored, longer and deeper tunnel to protect both the monument and its surrounding landscape, whereas the plans just challenged were for a cheapskate 'cut and cover' tunnel which would have left a long length of exposed road cutting either side of a short tunnel section, irredeemably changing the immediate neighbourhood of the monument.
 
From what I've read the objections from archeologists are based on the fact that any tunnel will involve destroying the archeology still in the ground.
I think this is unlikely. Any building work that uncovers archaeology has to stop immediately and get the archaeologists in. Building will often ignore this until it’s too late of course, but in the case of Stonehenge it’s difficult to image that the archaeological interest will not be looked after with die care and attention
 
I think this is unlikely. Any building work that uncovers archaeology has to stop immediately and get the archaeologists in. Building will often ignore this until it’s too late of course, but in the case of Stonehenge it’s difficult to image that the archaeological interest will not be looked after with die care and attention
Yes, but archaeologists have to work at spreed and under pressure in these circumstances, which limits the extent of their research. I suspect a more fundamental point is that even if the archaeologists were able top do a superb job, part of the Stone Henge complex would be irretrievably lost once the tunnel is built, which hardly seems to best way to preserve an UNESCO site.
 
Yes, but archaeologists have to work at spreed and under pressure in these circumstances, which limits the extent of their research. I suspect a more fundamental point is that even if the archaeologists were able top do a superb job, part of the Stone Henge complex would be irretrievably lost once the tunnel is built, which hardly seems to best way to preserve an UNESCO site.

Agreed, but the point is to find a solution that does work to preserve Stonehenge. The current situation of a very busy road carrying a large volume of haulage traffic that runs close to the monument is not sustainable.

The fact of the matter is that the whole area is crammed full of important archaeology, some of it as yet unexcavated, so any solution will be expensive and complicated.

As ever, this government’s cheapskate corner cutting solution is totally inadequate
 


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