Pulse.Assent

Highways England has rearranged two consultation events for the A303 Stonehenge scheme, which were hit by severe weather which swept across the South West at the start of the month.

A scheme to upgrade the A303 between Amesbury and Berwick Down includes plans for a 1.9-mile long tunnel past Stonehenge, a free-flowing dual carriageway and a much-needed bypass north of Winterbourne Stoke.

Consultation on the detailed plans launched on 8 February, but the two public information events, at Mere and Salisbury, were impacted by the snow in early March.

The Mere public information event was curtailed early on Thursday, 1 March, due to the weather conditions, and the Salisbury Guildhall event on Saturday, 3 March, was cancelled, also for safety reasons.

Highways England, in consultation with Wiltshire Council, has rescheduled the Mere event, at the Lecture Hall, Salisbury Street, for Friday, 13 April (11am-5pm), and the Salisbury event at The St Paul’s Church Centre, Fisherton Street (SP2 7QW) for Saturday, 14 April (11am-5pm).

As a result, the consultation period has now been extended until Monday, 23 April.

The scheduled public information event at Antrobus House, Amesbury will take place on Friday, 23 March (2pm-8pm), and all feedback received during the consultation period will be considered and help to inform further refinements to the scheme.

For those people unable to make the remaining public information events or for those wanting further information, visit the consultation website.

General enquiries

Members of the public should contact the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.

Media enquiries

Journalists should contact the Highways England press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.

Close to 1,000 people attended seven public information events throughout February, with a similar number submitting written feedback on the more detailed plans exhibited during consultation.

Consultation on proposals to upgrade and dual the 8-mile section of the A30 closed on 12 March.

The £290 million improvement scheme, part of the Government’s £15 billion Road Investment Strategy, will help to promote economic growth, improve journey times and increase safety by unlocking one of the last major bottlenecks in Cornwall.

During consultation, the public were able to see and submit feedback on the detailed proposals, which include:

• a 70mph high-quality dual carriageway
• a two-level junction at Chiverton Cross and a new roundabout to ensure the free flow of traffic on the A30
• a new partial junction at Chybucca built on two levels with west-facing slip roads to provide access onto the dual carriageway from local routes
• new bridges at Tolgroggan Farm, Pennycomequick Lane and over the Allet to Tresawsen road to provide local access
• a two-level junction at Carland Cross with a new roundabout north of the dual carriageway and re-using the existing roundabout to the south
• keeping the existing A30 as a local route with new sections where necessary to provide continuity and connectivity for local communities
• undertaking construction away from the existing A30 route to ensure continuity during this period

Project manager Josh Hodder said:

The project team are delighted with the response to consultation and the variety of constructive feedback we’ve received – local communities, businesses and organisations have really engaged well with us.

We recognise the strategic importance of improving this section of the A30, we’ve enjoyed sharing our proposals with local stakeholders, businesses and the community.

We were really pleased to meet and engage with the 882 people who attended our seven public events, it really helps inform our decision making on the finer details of the scheme.

Over the next few months, we will be keeping people up to date via our web page and regular newsletters as we continue to work and move forward towards submitting our planning application.

Anyone wishing to receive newsletters can sign up by emailing the project team at A30ChivertonCrosstoCarlandCross@highwaysengland.co.uk or by logging on to the web page.

Following consultation, the scheme will now progress through the formal Planning Act 2008 process later this year.

A planning application will be submitted in late summer/early autumn and on acceptance of this, people will have the opportunity to register with the Planning Inspectorate to have their say.

The cost of developing the scheme is being partly funded by an £8 million contribution from the European Regional Development Fund, with an additional £12 million for the construction phase. The remainder of the cost of developing and delivering the scheme will be funded by central Government.

Subject to statutory approval, construction is planned to start in spring 2020.

General enquiries

Members of the public should contact the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.

Media enquiries

Journalists should contact the Highways England press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.