Stonehenge tunnel campaigners win court battle – BBC News
BBC News23 hours ago
Campaigners have won a court battle to prevent the “scandalous” construction of a road tunnel near Stonehenge.
The £1.7bn Highways England project aimed to reduce A303 congestion but campaigners said it would detrimentally affect the world heritage site.
The government approved plans in 2020 for a two-mile (3.2km) tunnel to be created near the Wiltshire monument.
Mr Justice Holgate’s ruling means the order granted by transport secretary Grant Shapps has been quashed.
Highways England said it wanted to build the tunnel to reduce traffic and cut journey times on the A303, which is the most direct route for motorists travelling between the South East and South West and is used by thousands of people daily.
The BBC understands the project will have to be frozen while the government considers its next steps.
In his ruling the judge found Mr Shapps’ decision was “unlawful” on two grounds.
He found there was a “material error of law” in the government’s decision-making process as there was no evidence of the impact on each individual asset at the site.
And he said Mr Shapps had failed to consider alternative schemes, in accordance with the World Heritage Convention and common law.
