Jan Bartek – AncientPages.com – What many hoped would never happen has occurred. After years of protests from Druids, archaeologists, scientists and the public in general, the U.K. Government has granted permission for the construction of a controversial tunnel near Stonehenge, an ancient UNESCO World Heritage Site of huge historical significance that dates back some 5,000 years.

Just recently we asked if Stonehenge be saved from bulldozers or have Druids been defeated?

We now have the answer, and many people are angry and shocked. The £1.7billion road tunnel will be built south of the current A303 in Wiltshire. This two-mile tunnel will in effect remove the sight and sound of traffic pᴀssing the site and cut journey times.

Stonehenge as seen from the air. Credit: Alexey Fedorenko – Adobe Stock

The new tunnel should “dramatically ease congestion and eventually help the local environment. The agency expects the fieldwork to start in late spring next year, with the main five-year construction phase expected to start by 2023,” Los Angeles Times reports.

The decision by Transportation Secretary Grant Shapps goes against the recommendation of the Planning Inspectorate, which warned of “permanent” and “irreversible” harm arising from the project, unseen in the site’s history.

The Stonehenge Alliance, a campaign group that opposes the plans and has gained nearly 60,000 signatures on an online peтιтion, has also hit out at today’s announcement.

Dr Kate Fielden, from the Stonehenge Alliance, told the BBC that building the tunnel would remove “what was once there and has been there for thousands of years”.

Environmental campaigning group Greenpeace was also critical of the government’s decision.

Richard George, head of transport at Greenpeace UK, said in a statement Thursday that the tunnel would be a “disaster for England’s heritage and the world’s climate.”

“If the government is serious about a green recovery from the pandemic it should be investing in public transport, but instead we’re getting more traffic and more pollution,” George said.

But the move was welcomed by English Heritage, which manages the prehistoric site.

A spokeswoman for English Heritage told CNN in a statement that replacing the “busy” A303 with a tunnel would “transform Stonehenge, reunite the landscape and allow people to not only better enjoy and understand the ancient stones but to explore the surrounding countryside and discover its many other fascinating prehistoric monuments.”

Historian, author and broadcaster Tom Holland, who is president of the Stonehenge Alliance, said the group will oppose the “shameful” decision as vigorously as possible.

“The decision to inject a great gash of tarmac and concrete into Britain’s most precious prehistoric landscape is one that ranks simultaneously as spendthrift and sacrilegious,” he said.

Opponents of the project have now a six-week window to appeal to Britain’s High Court and challenge the decision.

Written by Jan Bartek – AncientPages.com Staff Writer