LONDON (AP) — The United Nations cultural agency on Wednesday rejected recommendations to Steenhenge on the list of World Heritage Sites in Danger over concerns that British plans to build a motorway tunnel nearby would endanger the landscape around the prehistoric monument.
UNESCO Experts had recommended that Stonehenge, a prehistoric stone circle on a plain in southern England, be declared “in danger” over controversial plans to redevelop a nearby motorway, which would include a new tunnel intended to ease traffic on a stretch of road that is often congested.
If the 46th session of the World Heritage Committee in New Delhi had supported this recommendation, the British authorities would have come under pressure to reconsider.
UNESCO says that placing a site on the List of World Heritage in Danger is not a criminal offence. Rather, it is intended to draw international attention to the urgent need for protection measures and to “encourage corrective action.” If problems are not addressed, sites risk being removed from UNESCO’s list, though that rarely happens.
Britain was supported by others, including Kenya and Qatar, who argued that efforts to limit the impact on the site of the planned tunnel were sufficient and it should not be added to the ‘at risk’ list.
A British government spokesman welcomed the decision on what is one of the country’s “oldest and most celebrated sites”.
Stonehenge was built in stages on the flat lands of Salisbury Plain, beginning 5,000 years ago, with the unique stone circle being erected in the late Neolithic period around 2500 BC.
In 1986 it was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List. This honor is given to places of special cultural or physical significance.
The highway project, which has been discussed for decades and is embroiled in legal proceedings, is intended to relieve traffic on a stretch of road that is often congested by moving the main road underground and slightly further away from the famous stone circle.
The A303 motorway, a popular route for motorists travelling to and from the South West of England, is often severely congested around the single-lane section of road near Stonehenge. As part of the widespread improvements, a two-mile tunnel is planned that will effectively eliminate the sight and noise of traffic passing the site and reduce journey times.
The plan is facing fierce opposition from local residents and archaeologists. UNESCO is also concerned about possible damage to the environment, nature and possible new archaeological finds.
Last week, campaigners seeking to stop the plan launched their latest legal challenge at the UK Court of Appeal.
In changing its recommendation to consider the site at risk, Kenya focused on the fact that the main stone circle would be further from the road with the new construction, rather than on the experts’ assessment that the road project would have a significant impact on the larger site. It also noted that Britain had considered more than 50 proposals for the highway scheme.
After the proposal to list Stonehenge as endangered was rejected, the commission agreed to ask Britain to provide an updated report on the monument’s conservation status by December 2025.
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David Rising, an Associated Press editor in Bangkok, contributed to this story.