CAMPAIGNERS – including historian Tom Holland – have welcomed news the controversial plan for a tunnel on the A303 at Stonehenge has been scrapped.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves (Lab, Leeds West & Pudsey) has announced the scheme is among many to be put on hold amid a government funding crisis.

In a statement to the House of Commons on Monday (July 29), she said the Government had agreed “not to move forward with projects the previous government refused to publicly cancel, despite knowing full well they were unaffordable”.

“That includes proposed works on the A303 and the A27,” the Chancellor added.

The decision came after transport secretary Louise Haigh carried out a review of projects planned by the previous Conservative administration.

It provoked celebration among campaigners opposed to the scheme – including John Adams, chair of the Stonehenge Alliance.

He said: “This is a vindication of all the work of so many people over so many years from supporters around the world.

“National Highways’ misguided project was called out for what it was: low value and unaffordable. It was also highly damaging.

“Now that it has been scrapped, we need to move on. As soon as the budget is there, we need to ensure, as a priority, that local traffic is better managed and rail access to the South West improved.”

READ MORE: Billion-pound tunnel scheme for A303 at Stonehenge scrapped by Chancellor Rachel Reeves

Tom Holland, historian and president of the Stonehenge Alliance, added: “This is wonderful news. This entire monstrous project, a proposal to drive a gash of concrete and Tarmac through our most sacred prehistoric landscape, should never have got off the drawing board.

“That cancelling it will also save £2.5bn is obviously an additional perk.”

However, the decision was not welcomed by Wiltshire Council, with leader Richard Clewer (Con, Downton & Ebble Valley) saying the authority was “extremely dismayed and disappointed” t the decision.

“These improvements are needed now to ease traffic congestion on the A303 and reduce traffic in our communities, and also ensure economic growth in Wiltshire, unlocking jobs and investment in the wider south-west region,” he added.

Historian Tom Holland has welcomed news of the scheme being scrapped

“It has taken many years of lobbying and working closely with partners, including National Highways, to bring this major infrastructure project to Wiltshire, and so it is a huge blow to get to the stage when construction is ready to begin, only to have this taken away from us at this late hour.

“There has already been £160m spent on this project, and cancelling it now wastes that huge investment, including the work to run a power supply up the A360 to the tunnel site.

“There is currently no viable alternative to the tunnel on the table. It would return the Stonehenge landscape to something like its original setting and allow local communities greater access to the ancient stones and the surrounding World Heritage Site.”

He vowed to remain committed to the project, working to bring it back to Wiltshire to “reduce rat-running in our communities, to reduce journey times to the wider south-west, to boost economic growth in Wiltshire, and to unlock jobs and investment across the region”.