On Tuesday, August 28 th , 2018, UNESCO published an announcement on the UNESCO’s website and from the World Heritage Centre on the receipt of numerous messages from citizens from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, as well as from other countries, expressing their concern regarding the ‘Proposed Scheme’ for the A303 Amesbury to Berwick Down project, located within the boundaries of the World Heritage site “Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites”, and the adverse impact it may have on the landscape, archaeological remains, hydrogeology and ecology of the site.

The news page on the UNESCO’s site stated that the World Heritage Centre wishes to thank (everyone) for emails and interest in the protection of this World Heritage site, and that they wish to reassure everyone that the competent authorities of the State Party of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland as well as the Advisory Bodies to the World Heritage Convention (ICOMOS) and the World Heritage Centre are fully informed of the concerns raised by the citizens’ campaign. The state of conservation of the property is being monitored by all parties in accordance with the Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention.
The news article also stated that the State Party of the United Kingdom and Great Britain has advised that it will manage the timing of the consent and other statutory processes for the A303 trunk road project to take into account Committee Decisions and to ensure that the World Heritage Centre, ICOMOS and the Committee can continue to contribute to the evaluation and decision-making processes at appropriate stages of the project.

When the go ahead for a controversial road tunnel near Stonehenge was given it was despite bitter opposition from archaeologists who fear that it could undermine the prehistoric world heritage site. However, the £1.6 billion project was welcomed by Historic England, the National Trust and English Heritage, the charity that manages the site, which suggested it would “restore peace and tranquility” to the area. The road going to Stonehenge, A303 narrows from a dual carriageway to a single carriageway for 35 miles of the road which links London to the South West, adding an hour to journey and at times creating so much congestion on the road. Of course, the proposals for a tunnel were first announced in 1989 but were repeatedly shelved, until the Government in London announced that it intended to build the tunnel and put the scheme out to public consultation. Department for Transport officials have insisted that the tunnel will avoid important archaeological sites and will not intrude on the view of the setting sun from Stonehenge during the winter solstice. But the activists are deeply concerned and have continuously objected to the plans. According to the Telegraph newspaper in London, University of Buckingham archaeologist David Jacques told the paper: “The chalk in the area across where the tunnel is planned is unstable so any large scale engineering work could result in Stonehenge subsiding.”
Earlier this year, the body which advises UNESCO had said that it “firmly objected ” to the proposals, which it claimed could risk the site’s World Heritage Status.
A spokesperson for the campaign group Stonehenge Alliance said: “The potential risk of loss of Stonehenge’s World Heritage Status casts shame upon our country and those responsible for caring for our heritage.”