The final act of the Stonehenge saga was played out this week before the Court of Appeal.
Protesters gathered outside in the rain as points of law were argued before three judges in a stifling courtroom.
Campaigners are seeking to overturn the rejection of their appeal against the Conservative government’s decision to approve for a second time a £2.5bn dual carriageway through the world heritage site.
Five planning inspectors recommended against building the road because it would cause permanent and irreversible damage to the site. Yet despite acknowledging this damage, the government approved the project anyway, an act many consider vandalism.
For years, the government ignored UNESCO’s numerous requests to reconsider the project.
UNESCO has finally lost patience. It is recommending that Stonehenge be placed on the List of World Heritage in Danger. It is only one step away from having its title stripped.
The petition, which has collected nearly a quarter of a million signatures from more than 147 countries, was delivered to the government this week, a testament to its international reach. But time is running out.
Unless Keir Stamer’s government makes an announcement at the UNESCO meeting in India next week, Stonehenge could be placed on the endangered list.
It is rather surprising that Labour did not seize the opportunity to save at least £2.5 billion, given the cash crunch. Let us be under no illusions: this solution makes little economic sense.
Once you take away the fancy £1bn heritage benefits given by National Highways (they still deny the World Heritage Site will be damaged) the scheme is loss-making, recovering less than 50p for every £1 spent.
Keir Starmer said we should wait for the outcome of the legal challenge.
Yet, as a lawyer, he should know that it is how the decision was made that matters, not the merits of the project.
The road was thoroughly examined by five planning inspectors and found to be inadequate. Little has changed, so why wait?
Scrapping this project now would restore our international credibility and safeguard the future of one of Britain’s most iconic heritage sites.
Yet officials are busy promoting the road and the programme of the previous Conservative government.
As a result, Labour’s promise of change, its integrity and its authority are being undermined. The question is whether it will do the right thing.
