A LEGAL challenge has been lodged against the latest plans for a tunnel past Stonehenge. 

It comes after the Department for Transport announced on Friday (July 14) that the £1.7billion project would go ahead.

There is a long history of legal issues with these plans.

The High Court had previously quashed plans for an upgrade to A303 following a legal challenge in 2021, and those plans were initially given the go-ahead in November 2020 by then-transport secretary Grant Shapps despite the Planning Inspectorate officials saying it would cause “permanent, irreversible harm” to the area.

And now there is set to be another legal challenge after the latest green light for the plans. 

Derek Parody, National Highways Project Director for the A303 Stonehenge scheme, said: “We have been notified of the legal challenge and will follow the due legal process, but we remain confident this scheme is the best solution for solving the traffic problems along this notoriously congested section of the A303 while preserving and enhancing the World Heritage Site, improving journeys, bringing much needed relief to local communities and boosting the economy in the South West.

“Ultimately, by removing the existing road we will return the Stonehenge landscape to something like its original setting.”