Stonehenge road tunnel is approved in long-running battle over £1.7billion project previously quashed by the High Court

Plans to construct a road tunnel near Stonehenge have been approved, the Department for Transport (DfT) said.

Transport Secretary Mark Harper has granted a Development Consent Order (DCO) for the project on the A303 in Wiltshire.

A DCO previously issued for the £1.7 billion scheme was quashed by the High Court in July 2021 amid concern about the environmental impact on the Unesco World Heritage Site.

The plans involve overhauling eight miles of the A303, including digging a two-mile tunnel.

Then-transport secretary Grant Shapps gave the go-ahead to the project in November 2020 despite advice from Planning Inspectorate officials it would cause ‘permanent, irreversible harm’ to the area.

Plans to construct a road tunnel near Stonehenge have been approved, the Department for Transport said

The Save Stonehenge World Heritage Site alliance successfully challenged his decision in the High Court.

In a 64-page letter granting fresh approval, the DfT said Mr Harper is ‘satisfied’ that the project’s ‘harm on spatial, visual relations and settings is less than substantial and should be weighed against the public benefits’.

The A303 is a congestion hotspot, with drivers heading to and from the South West during peak holiday periods often stuck in long queues.

Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said: ‘This saga is starting to feel almost as old as the stones themselves and it’s not over yet.

‘The likelihood must be that objectors will already be poring over the Secretary of State’s lengthy and detailed decision letter looking for grounds on which to launch another legal challenge.

‘Quite apart from the risk of further legal delays, the next hurdle for the project is getting the funding in place to proceed, despite the economic squeeze on the Department for Transport’s budget.

‘While users of the A303 might be encouraged by today’s decision it feels like they’ll still be able to enjoy the current view of the stones from the road for quite some time to come.

‘Since 1991 there have been dozens of different proposals for removing traffic from the Stonehenge site.’

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