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12/31/2023 07:08
Stonehenge, a world-famous megalith and UNESCO World Heritage Site, has become the subject of controversy over plans to build a road tunnel near it.
Photo: Wikipedia by garethwiscombe is licensed under CC BY 2.0
Defenders of the monument, including Save Stonehenge World Heritage Site (SSWHS), have appealed to the High Court of England and Wales, arguing that the £1.7 billion tunnel would permanently alter the landscape and destroy the site. . However, the British government believes that the benefits of the tunnel outweigh the potential harm, reports the Daily Mail.
A history of such cases includes the deletion of Liverpool from UNESCO as a result of the construction of Liverpool Waters, and the threat of exclusion of the Elbe Valley in Dresden due to the construction of a bridge in 2007. Stonehenge has become another example of how construction can undermine the status of a World Heritage site.
Court hearings on the tunnel in England are being completed, and a final decision on the fate of Stonehenge is expected soon.