Asked by: Alex Burghart (Conservative - Brentwood and Ongar)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he received a copy of the report by UNESCO and ICOMOS on plans for road alterations around Stonehenge World Heritage Site subsequent to those bodies' mission to that site in March 2018; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The UNESCO World Heritage Committee published on 29 May 2018 a draft decision for its forthcoming convention. This notes the findings and recommendations of the UNESCO/ICOMOS 2018 advisory mission. However, the Department has not seen the final version of this report.
The A303 Stonehenge proposed route was carefully chosen to avoid monuments and barrow groups, or conflict with the Winter Solstice alignment. We are grateful to UNESCO/ICOMOS for their continuing engagement. While the Government recognises the challenges highlighted in the draft decision, we remain confident the scheme will enhance and protect the Stonehenge landscape.