Government cancels funding for Stonehenge Visitor Centre
In an announcement on further spending cuts, the Government has cancelled funding for the planned Visitors’ Centre at Stonehenge World Heritage Site. Cancelling this project will save £17 million, according to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. The cuts are part of £2bn of savings made by the coalition government. The Visitor Centre was meant to be ready in time for the London Olympics in 2012.
According to a spokesman form English Heritage, "the improved facilities would have dramatically raised the standard of welcome and facilities for visitors, increased the length of stay within Wiltshire and increased visitor spend."
According to a spokesman form English Heritage, "the improved facilities would have dramatically raised the standard of welcome and facilities for visitors, increased the length of stay within Wiltshire and increased visitor spend."
The planned visitor centre scheme was due to include:
- a new environmentally sensitive visitor centre at Airman’s Corner with enhanced exhibition and education facilities
- a low-key visitor transit system
- removal of the current car park and facilities at the Stones
- closure of the A344, upgrade of the Airman’s Corner road junction and Longbarrows Crossroads.
The UK National Commission is disappointed that plans for the Visitor Centre have fallen at the last hurdle after the magnitude of planning and spending that has been committed to date” said Harry Reeves OBE, Secretary General for the UK National Commission for UNESCO. “Since the Inscription of Stonehenge as a World Heritage Site in 1986, there has been a commitment by Government to improving public access and its surroundings, and to enhancing its environment. More than twenty years have passed and the issues remain, despite substantial investment in exploring various options.”
Stonehenge is one of the most enduring symbols of the UK. With the 2012 Olympics only two years away, the UK National Commission hopes that the funding can be secured from alternative sources. The National Commission is committed to working with partners to find a sustainable solution for the Visitor Centre.”
The Stonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1986 for its outstanding prehistoric monuments dating from 3,700 to 1,600 BC.
To download a copy of the UK National Commission response to The Future of Stonehenge: Public Consultation, click on the sidebar.
Written: 24/06/2010 , last modified: 22/07/2010
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