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Wednesday 21 February 2024

SSWHS looking for yet more money....eye watering amounts too!!!

This "press release" is the same old hyperbole we've come to expect from this shower...so nothing new there but take a look at the money they need, to raise an appeal!!

Stonehenge Alliance Press Release

Judgement threatens Stonehenge World Heritage Site For Immediate Release: 

Monday 19 February, 2024

Today Save Stonehenge World Heritage Site (SSWHS) 

[1] learnt that its judicial review of the Government’s decision to approve a highly damaging, £2.5bn road scheme through Stonehenge World Heritage Site, for a second time [2], had been unsuccessful. Mr Justice Holgate in handing down his judgement today dismissed the application [3]. SSWHS have said that they intend to appeal the decision. 

The judgement comes after a 3 day hearing in the High Court in December [4]. UNESCO [5], five planning inspectors [6] and over 236,000 people [7] were all opposed to National Highways’ highly damaging plans. Save Stonehenge WHS’s legal action had been the only thing stopping the giant earth movers from entering this 5,000-year-old landscape. 

John Adams, chair of the Stonehenge Alliance [8] and one of the 3 directors of SSWHS, said: 

“In the face of Government indifference to the harm this road will cause the World Heritage Site, we had no choice but to bring this legal action. While this judgement is a huge blow and exposes the site to National Highway’s state sponsored vandalism, we will continue the fight. In the dying days of this Conservative Government, which has inflicted so much damage on the country, we cannot let it destroy our heritage as well.” 

Tom Holland, historian and president of the Stonehenge Alliance, said: 

“This is a devastating loss, not just for everyone who has campaigned against the Government’s pig-headed plans for the Stonehenge landscape, but for Britain, for the world, and for subsequent generations.” 

SSWHS successfully raised over £80,000 to bring this action. SSWHS will now have to raise a further £15,000 in order to apply for permission to appeal at the Court of Appeal. If a hearing is granted, a further £40,000 could be required 

- ENDS -

Notes to editors:

[1] Save Stonehenge World Heritage Site is a limited company set up by three individuals closely associated with the Stonehenge Alliance to specifically challenge the original Government decision on 12 November 2020 to approve National Highways’ damaging scheme. SSWHS applied for a judicial review of the Government’s second approval of the scheme on 14 July, 2023 (six days before the Somerset and Frome by-election). 

[2] The first judicial review was held 23-25 June 2021, with the judgement being handed down by Mr Justice Holgate on 30 July 2021, quashing the Development Consent Order. 

[3] Mr Justice Holgate’s judgement While he dismissed SSWHS’s application, one of the grounds (The Secretary of State’s approach in relation to the cumulative effect of greenhouse gas emissions) is stayed subject to the outcome of Andrew Boswell’s hearing in the Appeal Court (Norfolk A47). However, SSWHS still need to apply for permission to appeal now and cannot wait for the judgement on Andrew Boswell’s case. 

[4] The three day hearing was held on 12-14 December at the Royal Courts of Justice in London. SSWHS was represented by Leigh Day and barristers David Wolfe KC (Matrix), Victoria Hutton and Stephanie David (39 Essex). It is argued that the grant of development consent was unlawful on the following grounds: ● Given recent developments and key new evidence, it was procedurally unfair for the Secretary of State not to subject the re-determination to a full public re-examination ● It was irrational for the Secretary of State to give no weight to the risk that the scheme would result in Stonehenge having its World Heritage Status removed ● The Secretary of State failed to take certain obviously material considerations into account, including by failing to consider diverting the road around the Stonehenge site, despite such an alternative having a far lower impact in heritage terms ● The Secretary of State failed to properly assess the scheme’s climate change impact, owing to: ● applying roads policy which pre-dated the Net Zero target ● treating the draft new roads policy as immaterial ● ignoring the new national net zero strategy ● assessing emissions from this scheme alone, without factoring in the emission from the whole A303/A358 corridor upgrade in the south west peninsular 

[5] See UNESCO World Heritage Committee decision from its September 2023 committee meeting in Riyadh. 

[6] The Examination Report, dated 2 January, 2020 recommended that the application be refused. It was published on 12 November, 2020, when the Secretary of State made his first decision to approve the scheme. 

[7] The Stonehenge Alliance has two petitions, one for residents in the UK (38 Degrees) and one for people outside the UK (Change.org). The combined total stands at over 236,000 with signatures from at least 147 countries worldwide. 

[8] The Stonehenge Alliance supporter-organisations are: Ancient Sacred Landscape Network; Campaign to Protect Rural England; Friends of the Earth; Rescue, the British Archaeological Trust; and Transport Action Network.

  [9] The Crowd Justice page has a new interim target of £100,000. This is to raise the additional funds needed to make an application for permission to appeal (at the Court of Appeal). If a hearing is granted, the Crowd Justice target is likely to need to rise to around £140,000

Monday 19 February 2024

Now we can at last start digging!

Stonehenge Traffic Action Group have been working on this one for 11 years. Even although we don't now live in the area - having moved to a much quieter place in Bonnie Scotland, we remain fighting for the cause.....persistence pays off and it's..... 

goodbye to https://stonehengealliance.org.uk/....you lost!!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-68338484 

Stonehenge tunnel: Campaigners lose High Court challenge

  • Published
Stonehenge tunnelIMAGE SOURCE,HIGHWAYS ENGLAND
Image caption,
Highways England said it wanted to build the tunnel to reduce traffic and cut journey times on the A303

Campaigners have lost a High Court challenge against renewed plans to build a road tunnel near Stonehenge.

Save Stonehenge World Heritage Site (SSWHS) challenged plans for a tunnel on part of the A303 near the site.

The High Court quashed the project in 2021 amid environmental concerns, but the Department for Transport (DfT) approved it again on 14 July last year.

National Highways says the tunnel will remove the sight and sound of traffic passing the site and cut journey times.

In December, campaigners brought a second bid to the High Court in London to challenge the decision to re approve the plans, which will overhaul eight miles of the A303, including building the 2km tunnel.

However, in a ruling on Monday, Mr Justice Holgate largely dismissed their claim, finding most parts of their case were "unarguable".

SSWHS previously said the approved scheme would "destroy" around seven hectares of the world heritage site, and mark "the first step" towards being de-listed by Unesco.

In his 50-page ruling, Mr Justice Holgate said ministers had "rightly focused on the relevant policies" and that the campaigners' evidence "provides no basis for undermining that conclusion".

One part of the legal bid, over the DfT's approach to an environmental impact assessment, will be determined at a later date.

During the hearing last year, David Wolfe KC, for SSWHS, said the Government gave "unlawful consideration of alternatives" to the project, and that campaigners believed National Highways had provided "fundamentally flawed" information over these that "failed to acknowledge the heritage harm".

The information was also based on a "flawed analysis of likely traffic figures for the A303," he added.   However, James Strachan KC, for the DfT, said the government concluded the project was "consistent with the UK's obligations" under the world heritage convention and that it would work with advisory bodies to "minimise harm".

The government has argued that the need for the scheme and its benefits "outweighed the harms", including the "less than substantial harm to heritage assets".

Stonehenge A303 tunnel planIMAGE SOURCE,PA MEDIA
Image caption,
The Planning Inspectorate said the decision was made following "careful consideration"

National Highways has said its plan for the tunnel will remove the sight and sound of traffic passing the site and cut journey times.

Then-transport secretary Grant Shapps first gave the green light to the project in November 2020, despite advice from Planning Inspectorate officials that it would cause "permanent, irreversible harm" to the area.

The SSWHS alliance successfully challenged his decision in the High Court.

Monday 25 December 2023

At last, support and people who see through the hyperbole....

My regular readers know that I've been banging on about https://stonehengealliance.org.uk/ (SHA's) lies, misrepresentation, constant changes of tack and their smoke and mirrors campaign for years, and now - we have support from those who have remained silent up till now.  Believe you me, the achaeologists have not held back in their Open Letter - which you can sign!! 

"The Stonehenge Debate Must Be Reframed"
see here: and yes, it's long but read to the end 
and sign in support: 

https://openletter.earth/the-stonehenge-debate-must-be-reframed-8a170f58

Please add your signature to this open letter, now at 1080 signatures as I write, and confirm your signature on the e-mail they will send to you!

It's certainly time for change in this one sided debate, but for too many years it's been a diatribe from SHA and they've had far too much clout!



Monday 11 December 2023

Dan Snow comment.....maybe stick to what you know Dan...

Please bear in mind that none of these people live where we live.....as for the input of one Dan Snow - a light weight interloper, see my blog of 8th March 2015 

 This is Stonehenge Alliances letter to Rt.Hon Mark Harper MP today...

Dear Supporter,We are delighted to tell you that 2,505 of you have raised over £80,000!  This is enough for Save Stonehenge World Heritage Site and their legal team to challenge Mark Harper’s decision to approve the Stonehenge road widening scheme and sort tunnel scheme on Tuesday.  We were beginning to feel anxious about the shortfall of £8,000 last week when galloping to our rescue came Dale Vince of Ecotricity, who took us over the line.  A wonderful omen!  We are moved by everybody’s generosity and help during these difficult times.  We cannot thank everyone enough for their support and donations.  But - we still need your continued support to keep up the pressureOur petition has raced past 231,000 which we'd love to grow to a quarter of a million. Can you encourage others to sign up to our petition?   Access to the hearing on 12/13/14 DecemberWe were able to give the Court approximate numbers.  So thanks for letting us know your interest in attending in person.  The hearing will start at about 10am.  There are no special entry procedures, but there will be a security check. 

We are much looking forward to meeting some of our supporters at our Pavement Protest at 12:45 on Tuesday.  It promises to be a colourful affair outside the Royal Courts of Justice (Strand, London WC2A 2L). Until we meet (again)! Best wishes,The Stonehenge Alliance 

Dan Snow sent us this message: 
“It’s astonishing that the Government is persisting with such a damaging scheme when there’s so much opposition.  Even UNESCO opposes it.  They’ve got to come up with something better.  Simply cutting right through one of the most important archaeological sites on planet earth shows little respect for humanity or our heritage.  There are plenty of other solutions that could reduce traffic past Stonehenge.”
Above: Dan Snow, historian and television presenter, met us with Tom Holland shortly after launching the Save Stonehenge campaign 9 years ago. 

STAG says: - Dan....Your usual light weight comment telling us that there are quote: "plenty of other solutions" why have you not come up with any pray??   Also, did you not notice that presently the a303 cuts right through the World Heritage Site or were you blind to that strip of tarmac??  Appears you've missed the point Dan...it's a balance that's needed and there's not a one size fits all!  By removing the road (a303) will improve the beloved World Heritage Site and by doing so will also improve the lives of those who live and work in the area close to Stonehenge.

Tuesday 28 November 2023

Yet more hyperbole from Stonehenge Alliance.....

This time on a placard outside the Royal Courts of Justice....


Remember my post of 11th Feb 2017 titled: 
"Baldrick has a Cunning Plan"
featuring Queenie, Lord Percy, Nursie, Master and Mistress Ploppy not forgetting Baldrick himself.....well they'll all be back at the 

on the 12th December and are asking for you - as a supporter, to travel across the world and support their demonstration...Will they travel all the way to London for half an hour, on their own money or use your hard earned from the coffers....I wonder?
This is what they want......

"Dear supporter,

Can you join us?  As you know, the High Court hearing is our chance to stop the earth movers from moving in and permanently disfiguring the Stonehenge landscape.  It is critical that we make the most of the High Court hearing to draw people's attention to the £2.5bn damage planned to the World Heritage Site by the UK Government for reasons that simply do not add up.
Demo on Tuesday 12 December 
Where?  On the pavement outside the Royal Courts of Justice, The Strand, London WC2A 2LL   Map link
What time? 12:45 for about 30-45 minutes 
What's happening?  Member organisations of the Stonehenge Alliance, Directors of Save Stonehenge WHS, and campaign supporters will join in, bringing banners and placards.  It will be colourful!"

And here's just a few ideas as to what your placard should read......

"What's the message?  Save Stonehenge WHS / Don’t damage the Stonehenge World Heritage Site / It’s a White Elephant / The Stonehenge road scheme is a waste of £2.5bn / Keep the earth movers out: Stop that tunnel / Save our heritage - It’s our future / Scrap the Stonehenge road scheme/ Respect Stonehenge WHS / etc"   

All of this of course, is the hyperbole mentioned earlier....nothing is going to happen to Stonehenge or the World Heritage site that will not improve what's already there!!!!   STOP MUDDYING THE WATERS - sha!

"Attending the High Court on 12 | 13 | 14 December
Numbers in court count!  The lawyers are keen to encourage supporters to attend any or all the hearing days.  However, they need to advise the High Court clerk on numbers.  If you would like to attend please can you let us know by replying to this email? 
Observing remotely: If you would like to watch proceedings on line please let us know and we will pass on your email to the court.  A link and instructions will be circulated by the court shortly before the hearing opens. 
Court opening hours: 10am til about 5pm with an hour's break for lunch at around 1pm.
Vigil 
A few supporters are planning to have a presence outside the High Court on all three sitting days.  Just turn up.

CrowdJustice target: Nearly there but not quite!
We still need to raise a further £10,000.  Supporters have been incredibly generous and donations are touching an amazing £70,000. Could you forward this email to friends, relatives or colleagues?
     
T-shirts and warm hoodies whilst stocks last! 
Supporters, Sacred Earth Activism, have designed special Save Stonehenge T-shirts and hoodies in a variety of colours in aid of the SSWHS appeal.  Huge thanks to Sacred Earth.  There's just time to order one before the demo! 
 Link here for details.

We will send one more email before the court hearing.  

Stay in touch.  As ever, thanks so much for your support.

Best wishes,
The Stonehenge Alliance team

*** CALLING SALISBURY FOLLOWERS *** 
Leaflets will be available to pick up and distribute from the ECO HUB at Salisbury Market on Saturday.  


Sunday 26 November 2023

SAVE STONEHENGE.....WITH A T-SHIRT?!

This announcement made me laugh....we all need one from time to time......  https://stonehengealliance.org.uk/badges-t-shirts-etc/


T shirts etc..... this just in from Save Stonehenge Alliance....

"Our supporters, Sacred Earth Activism, have generously designed T Shirts and hoodies in aid of Save Stonehenge WHS appeal.  Badges have sold out!  Visit their store via their website –https://www.sacredearthactivism.org/store 

For just £19.00 you can have this: 


Or for a more blinkered view....for £49.00 you can have this: 

And wearing these lovely items will sort the whole thing out for all of us.....won't it!?

These people continue to punt their views as to what apparently will happen to

Stonehenge - (the monument) when the job is done!!   

They continue to try and attempt to pull the wool over our eyes in the hope we'll believe Stonehenge will fall into the abyss or suffer another dire fate!! 

  More smoke and mirrors!!   

The monument will remain firmly where it is and will NOT become invisible....(unless of course, you're wearing one of these hoodies)!!! just because of 2 miles of tunnel, to the south!....if you want the view....you can park for free at the visitor's center in the summer or better still - park up in Willoughby Road, Larkhill, get out of your car and walk 

By-way 12 taking in some fresh Wiltshire air!!! 


Monday 6 November 2023

So! we're off to Bonnie.......



It's probably well documented locally that STAG.....or the two folks who created it, are.....
"ON THE MOVE" i.e. myself and husband Dave.   
This blog will be left in place for anyone who wants to access it and I may even post up any news.   In the meantime, just a wee reminder of how it started and our Petition Signing Day of 21/10/2013...



And last but not least - the day we went to Parliament....

Thanks are due to the Media who promoted our cause especially in the early years: