Latest updates
The latest news from the A303 Stonehenge project.
On Friday 17 May, the Court of Appeal informed us that Save Stonehenge World Heritage Site’s appeal will be heard in the Court of Appeal.
We are hugely disappointed by this decision, which will cause more delays to this scheme as the next stage of the legal process unfolds.
We will participate fully in any future legal proceedings, working closely with DfT.
What does this mean for the scheme?
We still have our Development Consent Order (DCO) in place and the scheme isn’t cancelled. But this extra legal process will delay the start of our preliminary works and we’ll need to adjust the whole main works programme accordingly.
We don’t know what that will look like yet, because we don’t know the extent of the delay.
The legal process timescale is not within our control, and we will need to work closely with DfT and our legal teams to understand what our next steps are.
What happens next?
We need to await the date for the hearing, which the Court of Appeal will decide.
At the hearing, both sides will present their case and the Court of Appeal will use this to make their decision.
What about the A360 temporary closure?
This work will continue without any change.
You can find more about this work on the A360 temporary closure information page, provided and updated by Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) who are carrying out this work on our behalf.
The installation of an electricity supply will require a temporary closure of a section of the A360 between April and July this year.
The A303 Stonehenge project needs an electricity supply for construction and for the tunnel once built. Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN), working on behalf of National Highways, will be carrying out work along the A360 to provide power. We will be installing high voltage and fibre optic cabling along this route.
To allow the work to be done as safely and as quickly as possible, a section of the A360 will be temporarily closed to the south of the A303 between Longbarrow roundabout and The Avenue roundabout between April and July this year.
During the closure, traffic will be diverted via the A345 and sections of the A303 and A36. Road signs will be in place to direct traffic to alternative routes.
Schedule of works
Work is scheduled to begin on 2 April and the temporary closure will be in place until mid-July.
Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN), working on behalf of National Highways, will be installing high voltage and fibre optic cabling along the route to support the A303 Stonehenge project. Work will be carried out in one lane of the road, with machinery and equipment positioned in the other lane.
Access to homes and businesses on the A360
While this stretch of the A360 will be closed completely to through traffic, access to homes and businesses on the A360 and for emergency services will be maintained. We are working with people who live and work along this stretch of the A360 to maintain their access and minimise disruption. We will continue to work with them, and the wider community, while work is underway.
Contacting the project team
Once work is under way, the closure will be staffed between 7am and 7pm each day and security will be on site 24 hours a day. The team on site will be happy to help if you have any queries or need to request special access for a large vehicle, for example.
Ahead of work beginning and throughout the project, you can contact the team by phone or email. The project website will be kept up to date with information about the work and you can also sign up for email updates through the website.
Email: info@a360temporaryclosure.co.uk
Tel: 03301 755 675
Website: A360 temporary closure site
Yesterday we were pleased to welcome the positive legal judgement as the High Court upheld the Secretary of State for Transport’s decision to grant the Development Consent Order for the A303 Stonehenge scheme.
David Bullock, our A303 Stonehenge Project Director, said:
“We welcome the decision, it’s a huge step forward in tackling the long-standing issues of the A303 at Stonehenge and it represents years of working with our stakeholders, heritage bodies and local communities.”
The transformational and sensitive upgrade will reunite the World Heritage Site and by removing the A303 and building a new dual carriageway below ground, remove the sight and sound of traffic from the Stonehenge landscape.
The scheme will also tackle congestion on the notorious, traffic-clogged, nine-mile single carriageway section of the arterial A303 route, improving journey times, reliability and safety, unlocking economic growth for the wider South West and reducing the blight of rat running on local communities.
Our proposals were granted consent last year, following a lengthy redetermination process, and has now overcome a second legal challenge, with one environmental ground yet to be determined.
In the meantime, we’ll continue to prepare for archaeological fieldwork, civils and utilities work ahead of main construction.
The stone curlew is a species of bird that is specially protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and the EU Birds Directive. We found stone curlews breeding in the area as part of our environmental surveys, so because it’s protected we need to make special provision for them as part of our work on the scheme.
This is just part of our commitment to minimising our impact on the environment and improving biodiversity where we can. We’ll also be:
- reinstating a rural landscape of gentle rolling chalk downland
- allowing wildlife to move freely above the tunnel and across green bridges
- creating new chalk grassland and enhance biodiversity
We assessed the scheme’s impact on stone curlew and reported this in the Environmental Statement that accompanied our Development Consent Order (DCO) submission. Our DCO was granted earlier this year and Requirement 12 of the DCO secures the replacement stone curlew breeding plots (similar to a planning condition).
The new breeding plot needs its own planning permission because it’s outside the scheme boundary. The site has been carefully chosen in collaboration with environmental organisations as the most suitable site for successful stone curlew breeding.
To create the new breeding plot, we’ll remove the turf to create a ‘land scrape’. This will expose the chalk underneath, providing the best type of habitat for stone curlews. The land scrape will be 1 hectare, surrounded by a 20 metre grass verge, plus fencing to protect the birds from predators.
View the planning application.
Our proposals were initially granted consent in 2020, and following a legal challenge and a High Court ruling against the decision-making process, the application has undergone a thorough redetermination process of more than 12 months before today’s announcement.
The transformational and sensitive upgrade will tackle congestion on the notorious, traffic-clogged single carriageway section of the arterial A303 route, and the announcement is a significant step towards unlocking economic growth and improving journey times and reliability between the M3 and M5.
We've been granted 11 Development Consent Orders since April 2022, and the announcement follows the go-ahead for another major infrastructure project in the South West – the A417 Missing Link dualling scheme in Gloucestershire.
The video shows how the Stonehenge landscape could look without the intrusion of traffic.
Our Chief Executive Nick Harris said:
“The A303 Stonehenge scheme is part of the biggest investment in our road network for a generation, and I’m really pleased the project has been given the green light by the Secretary of State for Transport – a decision which will enable us to progress this transformational scheme and deliver the planned benefits.
“The decision follows a lot of work on a comprehensive year-long process to reassess our Development Consent Order, looking in detail at possible alternatives, also including cumulative carbon and heritage issues.
“It means we’re now a step closer to solving the longstanding issues of congestion and delays on the existing A303, improving journeys for all our customers and bringing much-need relief to local communities.
“The investment, along with other improvements along the A303, will help to boost the South West economy, improve journey reliability, remove the sight and sound of traffic from this very busy road and return one of our most important World Heritage Sites to something like its original setting.”
A UNESCO report has been submitted to the Secretary of State for Transport to be considered as part of the process to look again at our Development Consent Order application. The report contains the findings of an UNESCO Advisory Mission visit to Stonehenge in April.
The full report has been published on the Planning Inspectorate’s website.
Although the western portal approach remains an area for further discussion, UNESCO recognises the exemplary collaborative work carried out in the development of this scheme, which will have many benefits, including returning Stonehenge to something like its original setting.
We have taken a lot of care to get to this point. UNESCO is pleased with all the work undertaken since their last visit in 2018 and particularly praised the work of our independent Scientific Committee, which has been key to ensuring experts guide our development at every stage.
We will continue to work with our Heritage Monitoring Advisory Group and experts within the Scientific Committee to ensure the scheme is delivered with heritage at the heart of every decision made.
The information we submitted to the Secretary of State earlier this month has now been published on the Planning Inspectorate’s website.
Our documents cover the areas that the Secretary of State requested further information on:
- Alternatives
- Local and national policies
- Carbon budgets and climate
- Environmental information
- Any other matters
We have looked at changes in circumstances - including our baseline surveys, policy or guidance - since we last submitted information during the planning process to see if our conclusions on the impacts of the scheme remain valid.
We have continued to undertake routine surveys including ecology and groundwater monitoring to ensure information is kept as up to date as possible. The survey reports are being finalised and will be submitted to the Secretary of State shortly.
People will be invited to comment on our documents when these are published.
You can read the full documents on the Planning Inspectorate website.
We’re pleased the Secretary of State for Transport has today published what’s known as the Statement of Matters, which is a critical step forward in helping him look again at the A303 Stonehenge scheme consent.
This now gives National Highways a much clearer picture of the way forward. We will be working hard to provide the information the Secretary of State has requested, including the information on carbon and climate change.
We remain confident the scheme is the best solution to solving the traffic problems along this notoriously congested section of the A303 and to remove the sight and the sound of the traffic from the Stonehenge landscape and the World Heritage Site.
View the A303 Stonehenge Statement of Matters.
The legal challenge against the decision to grant consent for the A303 Amesbury to Berwick Down scheme past Stonehenge has been upheld by the High Court judge.
The judge upheld two of the ten grounds submitted and consequently the Development Consent Order which was granted by the Secretary of State for Transport for the A303 Stonehenge scheme has been quashed.
We now have to wait while the Department for Transport considers its options.
This is a setback, but we remain confident our project is the best solution to the ongoing issues along the A303 past Stonehenge and was developed after a long and extensive collaboration with our key stakeholders.
We are hugely disappointed by the decision, and we know this will also dismay many people in the local community who have waited decades for a solution and all those who use the road to travel to work or on holiday in the south west.
We would like to thank everyone who contributed to the development of the scheme so far.
We are continuing with our programme of surveys along the route of the A303 Stonehenge scheme to give us a clear picture of the type of soils, rocks and ground water in the area.
We will share the results of the surveys with our main works contractor when they are appointed – they will use the information to plan how to build the road and tunnel efficiently and safely.
February will see the start of preparations for a pumping test to check ground water flow, levels and quality – something we’ve already been monitoring for a number of years.
We need to collect data throughout the year, as seasonal changes in rainwater affects how much water is in the ground, and how it flows. Water levels are normally at their highest towards the end of February and early March, which is what we are assessing in our latest surveys.
The week-long test will involve pumping water deep out of the ground from an existing borehole for 24 hours a day. The water will then be transported in a temporary pipe to soak back into the ground naturally.
All the work we will be doing is on private property, such as farmland. If you’re out walking your dog or driving your car, you may see some of our team wearing high-vis clothing or vans and equipment in fields. The work will take place from February until April.
Many of the surveys we are carrying out need to take place at a particular time of year. Starting now and continuing throughout the summer we will be out and about doing further ecology surveys collecting more information on wildlife including otters, water voles, birds, bats and many others.
The Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps has approved our Development Consent Order (DCO) application for the A303 Amesbury to Berwick Down scheme.
We’re really pleased that we’ve been given the go ahead to make the much-needed improvements to the A303 past Stonehenge a reality. It’s an important step in finally sorting out a road that doesn’t work for drivers, for people who live, work and holiday in Wiltshire and the south west.
Today’s announcement is a major milestone, not only for us, but also for the many local communities who have long campaigned for improvements, as well as our stakeholders who we’ve been working with for several years.
What happens next?
Our team will be busy getting ready ahead of main construction starting.
For those of you who live or travel through the area, you may have seen us over the last few months carrying out surveys and investigations ahead of the decision to help us prepare for construction.
We have also just appointed archaeological specialists - who will carry out excavations and work to record and preserve any archaeological finds - and a contractor responsible for other work that needs to be done before construction starts.
They have already started their planning for starting on-site in late spring of 2021, with work expected to last more than a year.
In early 2021 we’re planning to run public information events, where you’ll be able to find out more on what work is coming next and speak with members of the project team.
Following the launch of an 18-month procurement process in July, yesterday we reached another milestone with the conclusion of the six-month Development Consent Order (DCO) examination.
The panel of inspectors who have been hearing evidence throughout the examination now have three months to write a report with a recommendation for the Secretary of State for Transport, who is expected to make a decision in spring 2020.
To find out more information on the examination process please visit the Planning Inspectorate’s website.
