Stonehenge activities win right to challenge judicial review

Campaigners opposing a road tunnel near Stonehenge have won the right to challenge the outcome of a judicial review which allowed the scheme to go ahead.

However, he has now been granted leave to appeal the decision and another hearing will take place.

Preparatory work on the government-owned National Highways was expected to start on Salisbury Plain this month, but will now be delayed while legal arguments continue.

Work on the tunnel itself was expected to begin in early 2025, with over a hundred archaeologists already employed and waiting to begin digging at the sites of the tunnel portals.

Planning permission for the scheme, which Highways England said would reduce traffic and reduce journey times on the key route, was first approved in November 2020, despite Planning Inspectorate officials saying it would cause ” permanent, irreversible damage” to the area.

The scheme, which is backed by Wiltshire Council and involves revising eight miles of the main road from London to south-west England, was given the green light again by the Department for Transport in July 2023 but was put on hold after another appeal by to the High Court. militants in December.

They argued that the legal process followed by the government is flawed.

The outcome of the judicial review was considered unfair by the campaigners and, after challenging the decision, they have now been granted the go-ahead to challenge it.

Chris Todd, Director of World Heritage Site Save Stonehenge, said: “The fight goes on. The case is still alive and the government is still in the bank.”

He said that if the new hearing was successful, the Development Consent Order to build the tunnel should be rejected.

National Highways project director David Bullock said: “We are extremely disappointed by this decision, which will cause further delays to the scheme as the next stage of the legal process unfolds.”

Mr Bullock added: “We still believe our project is the best solution to the ongoing problems along the A303 beyond Stonehenge.”

John Adams, chairman of the Stonehenge Alliance and one of three directors of the SSWHS, said it was “extremely good news” and “all those who care passionately about our cultural heritage can breathe a sigh of relief”.

SSWHS must now raise a further £34,000 for the Court of Appeal hearing.