To think the Stonehenge tunnel should not be built

[nosswith]

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-54919205

Planning Inspectorate recommend no, people may be commuting less long term, railway is being upgraded, so-called 'predict and provide' only does environmental harm. £2.4bn cost that could repair a lot of potholed roads, build bus lanes, cycle lanes and improve public transport.

Yet the Transport Secretary gives the go-ahead.

The reason why YANBU (from my point of view) is that the Stonehenge tunnel is likely to disturb some burial and other ancient sites that lie in its path (so it is thought). Apparently, there are thought to be quite a lot in that area.

Surely if there's ancient burial grounds that can teach us something we should be excavating them

What use is a dead civilisation without us digging it up? No one is commemorating those dead now

That being said I don't agree on the other grounds at all - environmentally it's stupid

Obviously like anyone else I'd like to get to the West Country quicker - last time I came back that way it took 12 hours

YANBU. It is an absolute disgrace that Grant Schnapps can just overrule an independent planning inquiry. A devastating decision which I am sure will be challenged. No doubt the government will just do what it likes anyway as it always does.

I think it will make the site a lot better. Having traffic chugging past ruins the ambience of the place.

I'm an archaeologist (although not currently working in the field but have been up until recently) and this debate has been going on for years, at least since I started my undergrad in 2012.

What most people don't understand is there's absolutely shit tons of archaeology in the area , not just Neolithic stuff but also lots of later periods although in the area neolithic archaeology has been popularised. Just in context of the neolithic stuff more and more is found each year within 10 miles of Stonehenge. It's important when remains are found that they are in a landscape context and recognises known and the potential unknown archaeology. The archaeology in the area is over representative of monumental structures, not a lot of neolithic human remains due to their disposal techniques but there are gravesites from later eras. While Stonehenge is important in its own right it wouldn't be as import if it was within a sterile landscape.

It's also important to keep in mind that the existing road is already close to Stonehenge and its placement should've received greater criticism at several points. This being said, I do think there were other options to the tunnel put forward by professional bodies like Historic England and individuals archaeologist, community leaders and geologists/geographers which would also have been suitable and less destructive. They may also have been more expensive but in the long run probably more beneficial in terms of protecting our non-renewable heritage resources. We will never get back what we excavate, excavation by it's very nature is destructive.

I’m an archaeologist. The tunnel is going to completely destroy a huge number of sites. Salisbury Plain is rammed with amazing prehistoric archaeology spanning thousands of years. If absolutely every square inch of the route was fully excavated by archaeologists it would take years and cost millions more. That’s just not going to happen. The government just care about everyone being able to get to work quicker (and I would be very interested to know whose pockets are being lined) and English Heritage only seem to care about the landscape looking ‘nicer’ and raking in the cash from foreign tourists. The whole thing stinks.

I live within a mile of Stonehenge and I dont want any more traffic disruption, it's bad enough already

Cultural vandalism on an extreme scale. Shapps is a slimey little weasle I'm sure someone has paid handsomely for this go ahead.

@Everythingmagnolia

I live within a mile of Stonehenge and I dont want any more traffic disruption, it's bad enough already

I don't quite get that. The people who will benefit most are travellers who won't have to sit in a queue because people are rubber-necking to view the stones and the half a dozen cottages where you live that won't have a permanent car park outside their door. Short term paid for long term gain I would have thought?