Work to improve Stonehenge’s environment will get under way next week – following decades of wrangling with many millions spent on various fruitless schemes and consultations.

StonehengeRepresenting English Heritage, the operator of the UNESCO World Heritage Site,  Renée Fok commented that things are finally starting to get done around Stonhenge now that the upgrade will begin next week. The mysterious Wiltshire monument is among the world’s most famous tourist sites and receives over a million visitors every year – half of which travel from overseas.

While the stones continue to amaze, Stonehenge’s environment and facilities have been the subject of withering criticism on numerous occasions, with the likes of Simon Jenkins, the National Trust’s chairman, calling the site a “disgrace”. One of the main problems is that Stonehenge is surrounded by roads such as the A303, which is constantly busy with traffic, and the A344.

Additionally, the site’s car parks become overcrowded and the visitor centre is in need of a facelift. Under the new scheme, to cost £27 million, “a landscape transformed” has been promised by English Heritage. The project’s keystone is the grassing over of part of the A344 and its closure. Existing buildings and visitor car parks are to be removed with an innovative and new visitor centre built alongside shops, cafes, galleries, and an “education space”.
by Alfie FEATHERSTONE  – Renee Fok, Stonehenge, UNESCO – Source Link:

The Stonehenge Tour Company