Demand for action on traffic 'rat-runs' by Stonehenge

A council has demanded action on heavy traffic near Stonehenge after the collapse of a £2bn tunnel project.

Planning permission for the two-mile (3.2km) A303 underpass near the world heritage site was officially revoked by the government in March.

Wiltshire councillor Monica Devendran called for a "deliverable alternative solution" to the project, which had faced criticism from campaigners. She said local roads had become "rat-runs". "How can one of the primary road links to the West Country in the 21st Century still be a single carriageway?"

National Highways says it is working with the Department for Transport (DfT) to "remain committed to the maintenance and safety of our road network".

Devendran, councillor for Amesbury West and mayor of Amesbury, continued: "Roads that were never designed to carry heavy traffic have become rat-runs, creating unnecessary dangers for local communities."

She was speaking at a full Wiltshire Council meeting on Tuesday, during which councillors voted to call on Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander to give "clear direction" on the next steps for addressing congestion on the arterial route.

A motion, presented by Devendran, a Conservative, urged the government to develop a "funded and deliverable alternative solution".

The motion won cross-party support, with Liberal Democrat council leader Ian Thorn accusing the Labour government of "pork barrel politics".

Lib Dem councillor Martin Smith, cabinet member for highways, said the traffic problem was "a problem that only National Highways can resolve," and warned: "The rat-running through the villages will continue and there will be an economic hit on the region in the coming years."

The council's Labour leader, councillor Ricky Rogers, added: "When I came into this chamber in 1989, we were talking about the very topic – how do we improve the traffic flow past Stonehenge?"

The tunnel proposal, however, had been controversial, with campaigners going to the High Court several times over the project and a judicial review, which dismissed their challenge in February 2024.

The outcome of that judicial review was believed to be incorrect by the campaigners and, after appealing against the decision, they were granted approval to challenge it in May 2024.

They had been waiting on another update before Labour scrapped the tunnel plans in July 2024 following a spending review. The planning consent for the tunnel was formally revoked in March this year.

A National Highways spokesperson said: "We have worked with the Department for Transport, to ensure the A303 Stonehenge scheme is brought to a close.

"In the meantime, we remain committed to the maintenance and safety of our road network, whilst providing value for money to taxpayers."

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