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Stonehenge idea bad news for Warminster
(January 21, 2010)WILTSHIRE Council's strategic planning committee met at Antrobus House
in Amesbury on Wednesday and their key decision could have a negative knock-on impact on Warminster in the long term.
The council has approved English Heritage's proposals for a visitor centre at Airman's Cross (now called Corner for some
strange reason!!).
This plan involves the closure of the A345 road that runs past Stonehenge.
It will mean that traffic bound for London from Warminster will have to turn right at Airman's Cross and make a mile long detour to Longbarrow Roundabout or use the route the A36/A303 via Winterbourne Stoke, which is a mile longer than the route through Chitterne.
''Chitterne villagers may welcome the change as it could reduce traffic through their village but the proposals will add one mile to the journey for those travelling east,'' said VFW's Steve Dancey.
''The extra mile will increase Warminster's relative uncompetitiveness and increase costs to businesses here.
''In addition there is now much more potential for even longer queues at Longbarrow Roundabout simply because of the volume of traffic it will need to accommodate, especially at travel to work and holiday times.
''The government should have gone ahead with the visitor centre near Countess Roundabout east of Stonehenge and built the third of a mile long tunnel and relief road for Winterbourne Stoke.
''Instead the Government likes to spend money on roads where its supporters live.''
* The site is known as Airman's Cross as it is a crossroads and the site of the first military air crash when two aviators died. A stone cross marks the event - it was cleaned and rededicated in the mid 1990s.
The council has approved English Heritage's proposals for a visitor centre at Airman's Cross (now called Corner for some
strange reason!!).This plan involves the closure of the A345 road that runs past Stonehenge.
It will mean that traffic bound for London from Warminster will have to turn right at Airman's Cross and make a mile long detour to Longbarrow Roundabout or use the route the A36/A303 via Winterbourne Stoke, which is a mile longer than the route through Chitterne.
''Chitterne villagers may welcome the change as it could reduce traffic through their village but the proposals will add one mile to the journey for those travelling east,'' said VFW's Steve Dancey.
''The extra mile will increase Warminster's relative uncompetitiveness and increase costs to businesses here.
''In addition there is now much more potential for even longer queues at Longbarrow Roundabout simply because of the volume of traffic it will need to accommodate, especially at travel to work and holiday times.
''The government should have gone ahead with the visitor centre near Countess Roundabout east of Stonehenge and built the third of a mile long tunnel and relief road for Winterbourne Stoke.
''Instead the Government likes to spend money on roads where its supporters live.''
* The site is known as Airman's Cross as it is a crossroads and the site of the first military air crash when two aviators died. A stone cross marks the event - it was cleaned and rededicated in the mid 1990s.