Moscow, July 14 (Sputnik). The UK Department for Transport has agreed to build a road tunnel near the prehistoric monument Stonehenge, despite the risks of working for the site which has been declared a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Education Organization. Science and Culture (UNESCO).
This authorizes the Highways England Company Limited to build, operate and maintain the A303 (Amesbury to Berwick Down). “This is a new motorway tunnel linking Amesbury to Berwick Down in Wiltshire and related works,” the ministry said in a statement.
At the same time, he noted, the authorities do not see any risks of serious damage from the construction of the tunnel.
“The damage to the project’s spatial and visual interrelationships and the environment is less than material and must be weighed against the public benefit,” the report states.
According to Sky News, the decision to build the tunnel was taken despite warnings from “Planning Inspectorate officials that it would cause permanent and irreversible damage” to the site.
At the same time, the executor indicates that the decision can be appealed.
Furthermore, in 2021, opponents of the tunnel won a trial challenging the decision at the High Court in London.
The A303 is a major motorway linking London with the southwest of the country. Sky News indicated that due to the traffic congestion supported by the highway, the government has spent 30 years searching for a way to widen the road to increase its capacity.
UNESCO has previously urged British authorities to take steps to protect Stonehenge from losing its World Heritage status due to the proposed underground tunnel underneath.
Stonehenge is a megalithic structure located 130 kilometers southwest of London, in the English county of Wiltshire.
The complex was built about 4,000-5,000 years ago, and in 1986 the building was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. (Sputnik)
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