Stonehenge tunnel plan officially scrapped after years of protests

A controversial plan to build a tunnel under the Stonehenge site has been officially cancelled after millions were spent on the doomed project.Campaigners have been fighting proposals to dig a tunnel for cars under the location of the world heritage site since the idea was first proposed in 1994.Now, the Department for Transport (DfT) has revoked the development consent order (DCO) for a tunnel, two junctions and a northern bypass, saying it was doing so under “exceptional circumstances”.It means the project is officially scrapped, and anyone wanting to revive it in future would have to begin the planning approval process from scratch.The plans were finally approved in 2023, but the Labour government put the scheme on hold in 2024 after costs were expected to reach £1.4bn. Ministers last year suggested plans to rescind the DCO, and on Wednesday the revocation was finally announced.The tunnel’s costs, including the planning expenses, have already reached £179.2m. The project has been the subject of years of debate, with some residents wanting the tunnel to ease congestion problems, and others concerned it could harm the site of the world’s most famous prehistoric monument.The stone circle was erected in the late Neolithic period, about 2500BC.Acting chair of the Stonehenge-alliance" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="46154" data-entity-type="organization">Stonehenge Alliance, Mike Birkin, welcomed the plans. He said the area is an “entire landscape that is full of prehistoric monuments of incalculable value”.He added: “The granting of the DCO was always perverse given the enormous damage it would have caused to the unique landscape of the Stonehenge world heritage site. The scheme was condemned by planning inspectors as well as UNESCO’s experts, yet the government at the time rode roughshod over the evidence.”The campaign group has urged the government to use some of the saved budget on public transport networks in the area instead.Wiltshire council member Martin Smith told the BBC: “This is a huge blow for Wiltshire, our communities and the wider south-west region. There has not been any discussion on a viable alternative that reduces congestion and stops the rat‑running through Wiltshire villages.”The DfT said the decision had been made by transport secretary Heidi Alexander and that it “no longer aligns with current strategic policy objectives”.It added the revocation would “remove the planning blight that continues to affect the land in question” and would enable “alternative infrastructure or development proposals to come forward that better reflect current needs”.