A newly formed organisation, Save Stonehenge World Heritage Site (SSWHS), is launching a legal challenge to the recently approved development of a tunnel under Stonehenge.
Earlier in November 2020 the transport secretary, Grant Shapps, approved the development of eight miles of extended dual carriageway under the 4,000-year-old UNESCO world heritage site. Shapps also overruled a report by five planning inspectors who recommended withholding the consent and accepted that the development will cause harm to the site.
The plans have been opposed by campaigners, archaeologists and environmentalists. On another hand, Historic England and the National Trust stated that the tunnel would "enhance" the site.
In a letter to the secretary, SSWHS said the proposals are in breach of UNESCO's world heritage convention and are unlawful.
A solicitor acting on behalf of SSWHS, Leigh Day, said: "Our client believes that there is a legal case to be made that the Secretary of State unlawfully assessed the harm that is going to be inflicted on a 4,000-year-old and much-cherished world heritage site, deciding instead that such destruction is a price worth paying for the economic benefits and faster road travel times that may accrue in the future."
