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Friday 20 March 2015

Car Park extension 8 to 2 against.....

On behalf of followers of STAG, I attended the Planning Meeting where the application to extend the visitor's car park at Stonehenge World Heritage Site (WHS) was debated, considered and finally......rejected.....!
Along with Cllr Ian West, I used my right to, an allowed 3 minute presentation - taking only
1min 45sec, I took the centre chair facing some 10 other Councillors, having prepared my ground only minutes before!   Following this and a show of hands.....the application was thrown out by 8 votes to 2.....BINGO! We do hold some weight after all!  
Here's a precis of my posting on 16th January where I commented about the "lack of joined up thinking:
Applications have been submitted to www.wiltshire.gov.uk to extend both the
coach park Ref: 14/12106/FUL and the visitor vehicle/car park Ref:14/12107/FUL
Apparently www.english-heritage.org.uk did not envisage such an increase in visitors and as Simon Thurley CEO of EH previously said..."we are a victim of our own success."
Whist we as locals, are pleased that the visitor numbers have increased by 300,000 in the first year, therefore contributing toward the economy of Wiltshire, no provision was made for this increase at the outset when detail for the New Visitor's Centre was conceived, and now we have a situation where more of Wiltshire's rural countryside will be taken up....for them to....as
Cllr Ian West commented "build themselves out of a problem" and we know they will continue to do so!
Everyone agrees.......the Visitor's Centre was built in the wrong place and is too far away from the monument, therefore contributing to the already queueing traffic on the A303. Visits are now taking longer as more artifacts of interest are added, making the previous one and half hour visit, now reaching 2 - 3 hours.
The present car park is already a blot on the land scape, especially when the sun shines onto cars parked, making a dazzling and distracting eyesore which does not lend itself to our beautiful rural County......so, now they want to extend this for even more cars, a further 26 coaches along with 50 staff vehicles. You can see the plans, comment or object to the foregoing on Wiltshire County's web page under :

Wednesday 18 March 2015

Dan Snow interview....comments as much use as a colander.....!!

We think the folks from Stonehenge Alliance, historian Dan Snow....yes! that Dan Snow, son of Peter and especially Tom Holland, another historian, are so up themselves, that they may have been rather surprised and even a little upset when some of the STAG team, pitched up at By-way 12 yesterday, to the interviews with BBC Wilts Radio and BBC South Today.   We used our right to walk the by-way and at the same time, to put up a few posters along side the one for Stonehenge Alliance's petition.



Judging from the surprised look on their faces, we don't think the people of SH Alliance were actually aware of who we were until probably Paul Clifton of  the BBC enlightened them!   You can listen here to the interview on BBC Wiltshire and the T.V. story on BBC South Today:
 http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02l4050#auto
 http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b054xmv6/south-today-17032015
My thanks go to Will Walder and Paul Clifton for providing a balance by including STAG in the story!

On listening to the interview with Broadcaster and President of the Council for British Archaeology, Dan Snow, I found his response to the questions, lightweight, arcane, uninformed, and his projection all over the place.  Actually, all of it could be compared to a
i.e. none of it held water and as you see, we made it green because we think it's probably his favourite colour!!!!

Totally against plans to either dual, tunnel or improve the A303 around Stonehenge, and if we must tunnel, it should be 4.5km, therefore costing far more than the present costing of £1.2 billion and adding a further 10 years to the plan......Will they come up with the financial difference?   I doubt it!!  
Dan Snow and his like, are rightfully worried about the disturbance of archaeology around and under Stonehenge.   Where on earth do they get their information.....of course the tunnel is not going directly....under the monument and one can see from this possible map, that Stonehenge is not involved in the tunneling proposals.  What ever route it may take, experts designing said improvement, are well aware of the archaeology of the area.   Nothing has been confirmed, it may even follow the existing A303!!  
Whilst he agrees something needs to be done about the whole of A303, he was dismissive of the queues around Stonehenge, saying at interview, that nothing should be done about the 3 mile existing single carriageway stretch and "it should be left as is", and he thinks that it's... "not a bad solution".   We should just accept that the Stonehenge section will have to be..... "slightly Slower".   What about the accidents Mr Snow?   He goes on to suggest that signs should direct all traffic for the SHVS north and through Larkhill, and that he "could put this into place right now using a felt tip pen and a piece of paper"!   What a frivolous comment and I'm wondering what Cllr Graham Wright would have to say about that??    Mr Snow....we locals or anyone requiring to get to all parts to the north of our beautiful county, or even westbound on the A303, already use that route....call it rat running but we have no choice, the alternative being to sit in the queue for up to 2 hours in the summer, just to visit the supermarket - freezer food going off.....so! you're wrong about the "slightly slower" bit!!!
At the end of the interview, Lee Stone at BBC Wiltshire used the word "strident" to describe Dan Snow's response and that he...Dan Snow and myself were: miles and miles and miles apart!......I have another idea........
Call up Kenny Everett on You Tube and watch "The General" we could do with a good laugh!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMHDBL7CNA4

And I couldn't resist snitching this one from our sister blog: http://bypasswinterbournestoke.blogspot.co.uk/
"I think, however, it is only fair to leave the last word to the "opposition" - the Stonehenge Alliance...
...as they clearly suggest here. Please contact UNESCO and show your support for dualling the A303 - preferably in a tunnel!" You should also sign up to the STAG campaign!

Wednesday 4 March 2015

Application to extend coach park.....an update...

Unfortunately, the councillors, at the Southern Area Planning meeting on 9th April 2015 voted 7 to 3 for this application to go ahead.    We will report more of what our thoughts are on this decision in due course......watch this space.....a conflict of interests - maybe???


It now appears our information was incorrect about the withdrawal, and the application has actually been amended....the area applied for, has not changed but the staff car parking has been taken out of the new drawings, which can be viewed on Wiltshire Council's web site using the same application number of 14/12106/FUL or just take a look below.   This is to extend the coach park by 26 places each 15mtrs x 4mtrs and the drawing shows a "new turning circle".   Anyone with a basic grasp of maths, will be able to use a ruler and measure the turning circle from the drawing and it will show even the most experienced coach driver will never in a month of Sundays......be able to negotiate around it and each bus would have to be fitted with rear wheel steering!!!
Now, we would like to know what EH are up to with regard to getting their staff park and will this mean that 14/12107/FUL - the car park application which completes tomorrow - 5th March, will also be amended......keep watching this space!   Planning meeting 26th March 8 to 2 against the extension to the car park!   EH will appeal.
ALSO......
I put it to you, that if we, and I mean.....Mr or Mrs Ordinary, wanted to amend a Planning Application.....we'd probably be told words to the effect of...."on yer bike mate"!!