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The
Stonehenge Saga
If you think things have gone very quiet on the Stonehenge
front – you are absolutely right. So, let me bring you
up-to-date.
They may just be mouldy old stones to you, but they really
matter. First, the roads past the stones remain dangerous,
the traffic gridlock on the A303(T) gets worse, conditions
at Countess Roundabout, Amesbury, remain unacceptable and everyone
suffers in the villages north of the A 303, as well as people
living in Winterbourne Stoke and Chicklade.
A significant proportion of our thriving local economy depends
on tourism. Stonehenge is one of the most visited sites in
the UK. Back in 1997, visitor facilities at this World Heritage
Site were described by a Commons Committee as ‘a national
disgrace’. I challenged the Prime Minister at Question
Time on 18th June 1997. He replied, “It is obviously
a national monument of great importance and we will do whatever
we can to safeguard it”.
I was present at the launch of the new ‘English Heritage’ back
in 1986. Their first priority would be to address the Stonehenge
crisis. Since then, they have been round and round in circles
in the search for a Visitors’ Centre location – and
finally settled on the Countess Road site. The Department for
Transport eventually signed up to a deep-bored tunnel, a flyover
and new access roads for the Visitors’ Centre at Countess
Roundabout and a bypass for Winterbourne Stoke.
Following the Public Enquiry, the Inspector delivered his
report on 31st January. Meanwhile estimates of the cost have
been spiralling. In a clever wheeze that kicked the whole thing
into the long grass, in December last the Secretary of State
for Transport announced that a decision on the financing of
the Stonehenge project would now be put to a ‘regional
consultative body’ and it will have to compete with funds
for other road improvements in the whole of The South West.
The Culture Secretary was furious – DCMS had not been
told before DfT made the announcement. The Government Office
of the SW said this is an internationally important scheme
that should not prejudice local funds. The Regional Development
Agency has no idea what this ‘regional consultative body’ would
be or do.
On 7th February I was told in a Parliamentary Answer that
the Government is committed to the scheme and removal of the
roads is a crucial element. They told me that the A303(T) Chicklade
bypass is not yet in prospect after all and would cost £120
million at 2001 prices – another candidate for ‘regional’ prioritisation.
Then came the big one. The current ‘approved’ budget
for Countess Flyover, the 2.1km tunnel and the Winterbourne
Stoke bypass stands at £223m. You won’t be surprised
to hear that unattributable sources close to the truth have
whispered to me that the estimated (as opposed to the approved)
budget is fast approaching £400m.
I wrote to the Culture Minister on 14th January asking him
to ‘tell me what is going on so that I can reassure local
people’. I’m still waiting for the answer. Meanwhile,
the closest I’ve got to the truth was in a lift in the
House. With no escape possible, a Transport Minister admitted
the scheme would not proceed whatever the Inspector said unless
the Treasury coughed up more money. Back to the PM, eight years
on? Watch this space!
Robert Key MP
12th February 2005 |
