A WILTSHIRE councillor has submitted an alternative plan to the Stonehenge tunnel.

Cllr Ian West wants to see a surface dual carriageway built past Stonehenge on the existing line of the A303 – including a northern bypass for Winterbourne Stoke.

He made the proposals during the last public inquiry into a tunnel ten years ago.

It goes for consideration alongside a plan by Andy Rhind-Tutt for an extended A303 with a bypass south of Salisbury.

Cllr West says by cutting the road into the landscape it wouldn’t be seen from the stones.

“If built sensitively, high-sided vehicles would not be seen and traffic not heard by visitors,” he said.

The route would include an intersection for the A360 to pass below the dualled A303.

The road would go around Winterbourne Stoke before rejoining the existing route at Berwick Down.

Cllr West said it would be cheaper and quicker to build than a tunnel while retaining the open landscape wanted by English Heritage.

The plan also includes a car park 800m from Stonehenge from where people could view the monument for free.

He also cited Dresden, where people were content to lose UNESCO world heritage status to build a road bridge instead of a tunnel.

“Perhaps the Stonehenge problem is similar in many ways,” he said. “The local people have lived with the A303 problem long enough.”

The government announced in November 2014 plans for a 2.9km tunnel. It remains the preferred option but Highways England has to consider other proposals as part of the planning process.