Stonehenge Alliance's response to my letter....

https://stonehengealliance.org.uk/

"Dear Janice Hassett, 

Thank you for your email of 31st July.

I am sorry that last week’s High Court judgement has caused additional frustration and upset for you and your neighbours, however it’s crucial that ministers make decisions in a lawful manner. The judge’s conclusion was that the Transport Secretary’s decision was unlawful.

I am not unsympathetic to your unhappy experience of rat running through Shrewton. I lived for a number of years in a neighbouring village and know Shrewton and the locality well.

In a perfect world there wouldn’t be a major road running through the middle of the World Heritage Site and no congestion or rat running. We’ve all experienced the tedious delays on the A303 which are inevitable at busy times. But it seems to me that the congestion is unsurprising given that between 1949 and 2019 motor vehicle traffic in the UK increased almost ten-fold from 28.9 to 356.5 billion vehicle miles, largely driven by steady growth in car traffic.

Our overriding purpose is to seek to protect the integrity of the World Heritage Site, its landscape and unique archaeological features and enhance it for future generations. We would welcome a solution that removes the road, or doesn’t cause, in the words of the Planning Inspectorate, ‘permanent and irreversible harm’ to the landscape.

Perhaps we may not agree on all of matters, or on the best way forward but the Stonehenge Alliance is willing to work with all parties, including Wiltshire Council, in the hope of finding a sustainable solution but critically one that doesn’t cause further harm to the WHS.

Yours sincerely

John Adams

Acting Chairman the Stonehenge Alliance."

I was originally tempted to say his letter was patronizing but Mr Adams is actually quite a nice man having earned his OBE in Social Care see here:

 https://www.wiltshiretimes.co.uk/news/8777475.westbury-dad-recognised-for-years-helping-vulnerable-people/

However, the last paragraph of his letter is interesting when he says - quote:

"Stonehenge Alliance is willing to work with all parties" 

Perhaps he wasn't around when we attended the Preliminary Meeting at Salisbury Race Course 2nd April 2019 to introduce the 5 members of the Inspectorate.   At that meeting, Stonehenge Alliance were represented by Ms Kate Fielden as their spokesperson. One of the first questions asked of Ms Fielden by the Chair was..... 

"are there any areas of common ground between you (Stonehenge Alliance) and the applicant (Highways England)?    

The answer to this question was an....unequivocal.... NO!   

and this is on record and filmed at the time.....short memories eh?