Approval for Stonehenge road closure

Plans to close a main road running past Stonehenge have been backed by the government following a public inquiry. English Heritage wanted to stop traffic from travelling close to the Stones and "restore the dignity" of the World Heritage Site by closing the A344, the stretch of tarmac that bisects the Avenue next to the Heelstone.

Opposition to the road improvement scheme argued that it would give English Heritage a monopoly on access to the site, but following a public inquiry an independent inspector has recommended part of the road can be closed off. Roads minister Mike Penning has approved the plans with £3.5m to be used to improve nearby roads. 

English Heritage has said it will be necessary to close 879 metres of the A344 from its junction with the A303 and the section of the A344 between Stonehenge Bottom and Byway 12 (also known as the NetherAvon Coach Road). The route will be grassed over and will become a permissive route for pedestrians and cyclists.  The Longbarow Roundabout on the A303 will also be improved with "increased capacity".  Part of the B3086 from its junction with the A344 will also be closed with a Stopping Up Order that will remove a small length of redundant road following the remodelling of the Airman’s Corner junction as a roundabout replacing the current junction to cope with the increased traffic caused by the road closures.

Under the scheme, the existing car park and visitor facilities at the Stones will be removed and the area "returned to grass". Closing the road and removing motorised traffic from the environment immediately around Stonehenge will be a huge improvement.  

Opposition to the scheme has been centred on the issue of closure of Byway 12 west of Stonehenge, that runs between the A303 and A344 roads, to vehicular traffic. Cars and camper vans park in this lane, often staying overnight, and is currently open to all traffic. The approved Stonehenge road restrictions will provide permanent limitations on Byway 12 and 11 which will disallow overnight parking. English Heritage claims the proposals to restrict use by motorised vehicles on Byways 11 and 12 will improve the experience of many walkers and cyclists using these routes.

In June 2010 Wiltshire Council granted planning permission for a new £25m visitors centre at Airman's Corner, 1.5 miles (2km) west of Stonehenge. The plans were given a boost by a £10m grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund in November 2010.

Proposals for the new £25m visitor centre at Stonehenge were in doubt after funding cuts by the government in June 2010. English Heritage said it was "extremely disappointed" that £10m promised would not be forthcoming, due to cuts as part of £2bn of savings made by the coalition government. The plan is to move the visitor centre 1.5m (2.4km) away from the stones and to close part of the nearby A344. The remaining £15m was due to come from English Heritage, the Heritage Lottery Fund and other private sources.

The closure of the A344 will be the final step in that plan. Assuming all the relevant orders are granted by February 2012, the plan is for the works at Airman's Corner to proceed in June 2012 and at Longbarrow Crossroads in October 2012, both to be completed before closing the A344 in June 2013, with the opening of the visitor centre in October 2013. Finally, 2014 will see the re-landscaping of A344 (Stonehenge Bottom to Byway 12) and current visitor car park completion. 

The former road line will link the Stones and the new visitor centre at Airman’s Corner. The works will permit further archaeological investigations in the area and closure of the current visitor centre and carpark will permit further investigation into the Mesolithic postholes. Exciting days to come no doubt.

Stonehenge is one of the few stone circles in Britain with restricted access. Can we be so optimistic, or perhaps naive, to think that this is the first step in seeing the fences come down? 

From the new visitor centre people will be ferried to the stones by a shuttle service using a fully accessible visitor transit service that will be available to all visitors. It will run from the new visitor centre to a drop-off point near the Stones taking about twelve minutes. The original plan was for cyclists, pedestrians and horse riders to still have access. Which forces the question: will pedestrian access to the Stones then be free?

Much of the land near to Stonehenge is managed by the National Trust currently with free open pedestrian access, with a number of public rights of way within and around the Stonehenge World Heritage Site. Cyclists and pedestrians will continue to have access along the A344 between Airman's Corner and Byway 12 and along the Byway itself. Note this will be a permissive route, not a public right of way, meaning the authorities retain the right to close the route and withdraw access at specified times if required.

However, overall this should be seen as a major step in improving the local area immediately around the monument and will no doubt enhance the visitor experience. We'll be able to photograph the Heelstone without a van in the background. But don't think for a minute you will be able to walk up the stones for free as there will be nowhere to park your vehicle apart from the English Heritage carpark. 

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Sources:

Stonehenge A344 road closure approved - BBC News Wiltshire 01 November 2011 

Inquiry into Stonehenge A344 closure plans - BBC News Wiltshire, 22 June 2011 

Photo: The Heelstone from the Slaughterstone by Jeebs 

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