By Lynda Myer
In order to support its application to the Secretary of State for Transport (the Secretary of State) for a Development Consent Order (DCO) under the Planning Act 2008 (the Application) for the Amesbury to Berwick Down Scheme (the Scheme), the National Highways (the Applicant) has published the environmental information relating to the environmental statement.
In July 2021, due to environmental grounds, insufficient briefing on the scheme’s heritage impact near the Stonehenge site as well as no alternative proposals for the tunnel, including one to extend it further westwards, the High Court had overturned the planning permission. The case had been brought to the court by Save Stonehenge World Heritage Site campaigners.
Therefore, National Highways, which is part of the next stage of redetermining the project, invites any comments from interested parties on the information, to be submitted to the Secretary of State c/o The Planning Inspectorate by no later than 23:59 on 4 April 2022. All responses should be sent via the Planning Inspectorate email address and for accessing to the documents and further information you can visit the Planning Inspectorate’s website.
The Application seeks development consent for the Scheme in the southwest region, located within the administrative area of Wiltshire Council.
Benefiting from the DCO a high quality two-lane dual carriageway on the A303 trunk road among Amesbury and Berwick Down in Wiltshire) will be built. With almost 8 miles (13 km) long, the scheme would include the following key components:
- A northern bypass of Winterbourne Stoke with a viaduct over the River Till valley
- A new junction between the A303 and A360 to the west of and replacing the existing Longbarrow roundabout
- A twin-bore tunnel approximately 2 miles (3.3 kilometers) long, past Stonehenge
- A new junction between the A303 and A345 at the existing Countess roundabout
