Outrage as Labour scraps 'once in a generation' chance to improve 'vital' road

The Government has been criticised by local officials for plotting to remove planning permission for a £1.7 billion project in "one of the region's most vital transport corridors". Plans for the Stonehenge Tunnel, designed to reduce traffic near the World Heritage Site in Wiltshire, were suspended by Labour in July 2024, but the necessary permissions acquired by the previous Tory leadership remained in place. Officials have now moved to revoke the development consent order (DCO) for the stretch of A303 from Amesbury to Berwick Down, which was granted in 2023 and included the construction of a new bypass, viaduct and junction as well as a tunnel of roughly two miles near Stonehenge.

Ian Thorn, Liberal Democrat leader of Wiltshire Council, denounced the move as "completely unacceptable, not least because the Government has done nothing to facilitate an early discussion on an alternative solution". "This disregards years of planning, consultation and investment, and throws away a once-in-a-generation opportunity to improve one of the region's most vital transport corridors," he added in a statement published in the Business Desk. The government estimated that the scheme would cost £1.7 billion back in 2019, but soaring inflation in the intervening years means it could now be well above £2 billion.

Mr Thorn warned that an outright rejection of the project would have "far-reaching consequences", including "condemning local communities to continued congestion and rat-running".

"It would undermine efforts to unlock jobs and investment across Wiltshire and the wider south west," he added. "It wastes public money and the infrastructure already put in place; it compromises the environmental benefits that could have been achieved, and it also delays any future progress by forcing the entire process to start from scratch.

"This is not just a setback - it's a complete step backwards for a region that is severely lacking in government investment compared to other parts of the country. Wiltshire deserves better, the south west deserves better, and we will continue to fight for the infrastructure our communities need and deserve."

While the project has proved controversial since it was first proposed in the late 1990s, organisations including the National Trust have backed the idea of providing an alternative to the "damaging" surface road, which runs through the historic site.

"There are, of course, difficult decisions to be made when it comes to national spending plans, but we regret the lost opportunity to reunite this globally important landscape and to significantly improve the experience for the millions of visitors who come to this unique site," a spokesperson for the conservation body said after Rachel Reeves announced the scheme would be paused last year.

The Department for Transport said "exceptional circumstances" had made it "appropriate" to revoke planning permission.

"Given the challenging financial picture we inherited, we had to make difficult decisions about a number of road projects as they were unfunded or unaffordable," a spokesperson said.

"We remain committed to investing in projects that deliver for the taxpayer and drive growth, which is why we're investing nearly £5 billion this year alone on our strategic road network to support its maintenance, enhancement, and ensure smoother journeys."