In pursuit of a worthy battle to save the National Trust from a group of anti-woke libertarians, we should not ignore other dangers to our environment that the National Trust would prefer we overlooked.
Campaign to stop Stonehenge Tunnel
There is a serious threat posed by a most damaging road widening scheme through the rich archaeological landscape of the Stonehenge world heritage site, which is supported by the National Trust. The fact is, the National Trust is not only supporting the road scheme, it is allowing a massive tunnel and approach road on land that it holds.
The land might be inalienable, as Ann Moody explains in her article of 13 October (‘The National Trust goes to war: is Tufton Street planning a land grab?’) but that does not prevent development from going ahead if a scheme is approved by the trustees.
The current proposal, in the words of the independent inspectors, endorsed by eminent archaeologists, would “introduce a greater physical change to the Stonehenge landscape than has occurred in its 6,000 years as a place of widely acknowledged human significance. Moreover, the change would be permanent and irreversible”.
It is shocking to have to even write those words when you think how much effort has been invested at Stonehenge since the 1920s to raise the funds to protect the world heritage landscape for the benefit of present and future generations.
National Trust members can vote to stop this
The National Trust should not be supporting over £2.5bn of road building, it should instead be exploring sustainable transport solutions with its friends and partners. There are other options that should be investigated, as UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee, the Council for British Archaeology and the Stonehenge Alliance, have consistently pointed out.
The National Trust annual general meeting (AGM) is an opportunity to ask the trustees to reconsider their position. If you’re a member and you haven’t voted yet, please hurry and vote FOR motion 7 ‘A303 at Stonehenge’. You can also write directly to the to the National Trust here.
Editor’s note: while Stonehenge is not in Yorkshire, we have published this article as a companion piece to Ann Moody’s earlier one about the battle to save the National Trust from a group of anti-woke libertarians with a worrying agenda called Restore Trust. Many people have recommended voting for the National Trust’s recommended options in the AGM this year. However, this would mean voting to support the Stonehenge Tunnel. Members are encouraged to take the time to consider the options before voting.
