§ Lord Kennetasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the Multi-Modal Transport Study for the South West includes a study of the implications which the proposed dualling of the A.303 through the Stonehenge World Heritage Site will have for further dualling of the A.303 (for instance in the Blackdown Hills); whether the currently proposed Stonehenge section is itself being subjected to study in terms of the study's remit; and whether alternatives to the currently proposed Stonehenge section are being examined. [HL4554]
§ Lord WhittyThe London-South West and South Wales Multi-Modal Study will examine the scope for reducing congestion by better management and modal shift, as well as options for taking forward focused improvements, particularly on the A.303. There are no preconceived ideas. It would not therefore be appropriate to include a specific remit to focus on a particular section of the corridor. However, the study will need to recognise that the A.303 improvement at Stonehenge is in the Targeted Programme of Improvements, that preparatory work on it will continue simultaneously with the study and that there will be a need for close co-ordination between the two processes. Traffic forecasts for the study area and work on the development of multi-modal solutions will recognise this commitment.
The study is not expected to consider alternatives for the Stonehenge scheme but it should be possible, as a sensitivity test, to assess the extent to which traffic forecasts in the study area will alter, should the scheme not go ahead.