Consultation extended until Monday 23 April 2018

We had to cancel two of our planned consultation events at Mere and Salisbury due to severe weather. To allow extra time to hold these, we have extended the formal consultation period until 23:59, Monday 23 April.

The new event at Mere will be held at Mere Lecture Hall, Salisbury Street, Mere, BA12 6HE, 14.00 to 20.00, Friday 13 April 2018.

The new event at Salisbury will be held at St Paul’s Church, Fisherton Street, Salisbury, SP2 7QW, 11.00 to 17.00, Saturday 14 April 2018.

A full list of forthcoming consultation events is available in the community news section below.

Progress report

Since the announcement of the preferred route in September 2017, we have been developing the scheme proposals to the stage where we would now welcome the public’s views on our proposals.

The public consultation is now open, and will run from Thursday 8 February to Monday 23 April 2018.

Feedback from this public consultation will help us in our continued development of the scheme to the time when we submit our application for planning consent (known as a Development Consent Order) to the Planning Inspectorate.

What’s next

Public consultation is now open and will close at 23:59 on Monday 23 April 2018.

Further information about the consultation and the response form to use to submit your feedback will be available on this page and on the consultation page.

You can also use the consultation page to submit your views via an online response form, or download a response form to fill in and post to us free of charge.

We are holding a series of public consultation events where you can come along to view details of the scheme, ask questions of our experts and have your say. The details of all of these are available in Community news section below, and on the consultation page

Deposit copies of consultation information, along with response forms to fill in and return by Freepost, will also be available throughout the local area. Details are available in Community news section below, and on the consultation page.

This forthcoming public consultation is the next step in the legal and planning process to apply for a Development Consent Order. For more information about this, see our handy guide to the planning process.

Timeline

Community news

As part of the consultation process, we are holding a series of public drop-in events where you can find out about the scheme plans and talk to our project experts. Everyone is welcome to these; please feel free come along to make sure you get the latest, most accurate information about the scheme and ask any questions you may have.

You can also view scheme information at the locations below during normal opening hours:

• Amesbury Library, Smithfield Street, Amesbury, Salisbury, SP4 7AL
• Tidworth Leisure Centre, Nadder Road, Tidworth,SP9 7QW
• Salisbury Library, Market Place, Salisbury, SP1 1BL
• Wiltshire Council Offices County Hall, Bythesea Road, Trowbridge, BA14 8JN
• Wilton Library, South Street, Wilton, SP2 0JS
• Devizes Community Hub and Library, Sheep Street, Devizes, SN10 1DL
• Marlborough Library, 91 High Street, Marlborough, SN8 1HD
• Warminster Library, 3 Horseshoe Walk, Warminster, BA12 9BT
• Westbury Library, Westbury House, Edward Street, BA13 3BD
• The Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre, Cocklebury Road, Chippenham, SN15 3QN

In addition, consultation booklets and response forms will be available throughout the consultation period at the following locations:

• Stonehenge Visitor Centre, Near Amesbury, SP4 7DE
• The Barcroft Medical Practice, Barcroft Medical Centre, Amesbury, SP4 7DL
• St Melor Surgery, Edwards Road, Amesbury, Salisbury, SP4 7LT
• Larkhill Medical Centre, Willoughby Road, Larkhill, Salisbury, Durrington, SP4 8QY
• Till Orchard Surgery, High Street, Shrewton, Salisbury, SP3 4BZ
• Cross Plain Health Centre, High Street, Shrewton, Salisbury, SP3 4DB

You may well have followed earlier versions of this scheme. Some of these will have had different approaches and processes, or been governed by older legislation. We’ve put together a clear guide to the planning process we’re following: this explains exactly what happens, when, and how you get can get involved.

Why we need this scheme

As part of the most direct route between the South East and the South West, the A303 past Stonehenge plays a big part in the daily lives of tens of thousands of people, and for many it can be a daily struggle.

Average traffic flows along the single carriageway section between Amesbury and Berwick Down are twice what it was designed for, and the road is even busier in the summer tourist period.

The road bisects the Stonehenge part of the Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites World Heritage Site, running just 165 metres away from the most famous stone circle in the world. The road also cuts the village of Winterbourne Stoke in two.

An improved dual-carriageway, via a tunnel past Stonehenge, will help unlock economic growth in the South West by transforming journey reliability, increasing safety and improving connectivity with neighbouring regions, while protecting or enhancing the environment.

To make sure we achieve this, the project has four key objectives:

• Transport: to create a high quality reliable route between the South East and the South West that meets the future needs of traffic.
• Economic growth: to enable growth in jobs and housing by providing a free-flowing and reliable connection between the South East and the South West.
• Cultural heritage: to help conserve and sustain the World Heritage Site and to make it easier to reach and explore.
• Environment and community: to improve biodiversity and provide a positive legacy for nearby communities.

Roadworks and Events for England

The latest incident information for England's motorway and trunk routes provided by Highways England