A DESIGNER has been appointed to develop the A303 Stonehenge tunnel and Winterbourne Stoke bypass.

It is part of a £15billion road improvement scheme announced by the government to improve the notorious A303 bottleneck between Amesbury and Berwick Down.

The 2.9km tunnel is the preferred government option and the package of work awarded to the Atkins/Arup joint venture is worth £17.5million.

Highways England hope subject to a public consultation work will begin on the project by April 2020.

Project Manager, Andrew Alcorn, leading the A303 Amesbury to Berwick Down scheme, said: “This award takes us another step closer to our commitment to deliver the A303 Amesbury to Berwick Down Improvement Scheme.

"Now we have Atkins/Arup on-board to help with developing options for the scheme and pre-construction planning, we will be able to take the next step towards making this scheme a reality."

Following the preferred route announcement Highways England will draw up a development consent order application, which will be examined in public by the Planning Inspectorate, before a final decision by the Transport Secretary.

MP John Glen said: "I am pleased to see positive progress towards the commitment to deliver much needed improvements on the A303 — my conversations with the roads Minister tell me that everything remains on track."

Anti-tunnel campaigner and former Mayor of Amesbury, Andy Rhind-Tutt, said the announcement to deliver a scheme that works to overcome problems faced in the World Heritage Site is reassuring. 

"Andrew Alcorn and the delivery team have pledged that all options including new alternative routes will now be examined in detail and if appropriate will be offered for consideration at public consultation," he said.

"With our MP and public support we could at last see a realigned A303 without the need of a tunnel giving Salisbury and South Wiltshire its much needed traffic solution and opening up huge potential for regeneration of our town, whilst preserving our heritage and turning Stonehenge into a national park which will do nothing but bolster south Wiltshire's tourism potential."