§ Lord Kennetasked Her Majesty's Government:
What are the Department of Transport's new proposals, referred to in The Times, 7th June, for rerouting the A.303, with four lanes, through the Stonehenge World Heritage Site, to the north of their earlier proposals, and whether they have discussed them with English Heritage and the National Trust.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Transport (Lord Mackay of Ardbrecknish)The Highways Agency is investigating various possible routes to the north of the existing A.303, as part of the continuing development of the A.303 Amesbury to Berwick Down Improvement scheme. The agency is now discussing these northern routes with English Heritage, the National Trust and other interested parties.
§ Lord Kennetasked Her Majesty's Government:
What are the "archaeological studies" being carried out on the newly proposed route for the A303, by whom are they being carried out and at whose expense, and by whom have they been approved.
§ Lord Mackay of ArdbrecknishThe Highways Agency has commissioned an archaeological desk study and some limited survey work on various possible northern routes. These are being carried out in consultation with officers from English Heritage.
§ Lord Kennetasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether a feasibility study is being carried out, and by whom and at whose expense into (a) the practicalities of the long bored tunnel proposed for the A303 by English Heritage and the National Trust, and (b) into the financing of that tunnel.
§ Lord Mackay of ArdbrecknishThe Highways Agency is carrying out a feasibility study of the long bored tunnel, in consultation with English Heritage and the National Trust. The question of financing will be addressed if the tunnel is found to be technically feasible.
§ Lord Kennetasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether a buried monument to "national importance" has now been identified on their proposed "grey route" for the A.303, and why was it not identified in the course of the archaeological studies they had funded into that route.
§ Lord Mackay of ArdbrecknishThe Highways Agency has not been advised of any monument of4WA "national importance" on the grey route which had not been discovered in the course of the agency's own investigations.
§ Lord Kennetasked Her Majesty's Government:
What are the Department of Transport's reasons for supposing that the northern route which they have now proposed for the A.303 through no less archaeologically sensitive landscape would be more acceptable to informed opinion that its earlier "grey route" and "yellow route" proposals, both of which have been found to be unacceptable.
§ Lord Mackay of ArdbrecknishIt is too early to say whether any northern route would have a greater or lesser effect on archaeology than those shown at the public consultation. All the possible routes remain under consideration by the Highways Agency.