UN Committee Votes Against “At Risk” Designation for Stonehenge

Despite controversial plans to construct a highway tunnel near the prehistoric site, the United Nations does not officially consider Stonehenge to be “at risk.” The UNESCO World Heritage Committee voted this week to postpone the decision on whether to add Stonehenge to its List of World Heritage in Danger following a surprise amendment to a draft resolution. The vote reignited public debate surrounding Stonehenge’s proposed redevelopment.

In June, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee published a draft resolution to add Stonehenge to its List of World Heritage in Danger. This list is intended to increase awareness of threats against globally significant heritage sites and to encourage conservation. The draft resolution claimed the UK government would endanger Stonehenge if it proceeded with plans to construct a highway tunnel near the standing stones. On July 24, the World Heritage Committee met in New Delhi, India. An amendment to the resolution, which blocked the “at risk” designation of Stonehenge, was ultimately agreed upon by the committee.

Following the vote, a UNESCO spokesperson told The Art Newspaper that the World Heritage Committee “considered the developments proposed by the United Kingdom to be the best option available. In their view, the resulting impacts, in particular the tunnel passing under the property and the proposed open cut at the western end of the property, do not constitute sufficient actual or potential danger to justify inscribing the property on the List of World Heritage in Danger at this stage.” The committee plans to revisit the decision in December 2025.

“A Dark Day for Stonehenge”

The decision not to place Stonehenge on the List of World Heritage in Danger prompted swift backlash from lobby groups. According to the Stonehenge Alliance, the committee’s vote “effectively gives the green light to the UK to go ahead and permanently damage” the prehistoric site. The Stonehenge Alliance is a non-governmental, non-profit group that opposes damaging development in the Stonehenge area. The group’s campaign, Save Stonehenge World Heritage Site, protests the highway tunnel in favor of low-cost, low-carbon alternatives for accommodating traffic and tourism.

Following this week’s UNESCO World Heritage committee meeting, John Adams, director of the Stonehenge Alliance, said in a statement, “This is a dark day for Stonehenge and a hollow victory for the UK government as this decision won’t stop the harm to the World Heritage Site. We should not forget that this scheme failed the planning test. It was recommended for refusal because of the ‘permanent and irreversible’ harm it would do.” The group cited “shocking goings on” and “untrue statements that helped sway the debate” in New Dehli. They also called on the UK’s newly-formed Labour government to “distance itself” from the committee’s vote.

Public pushback and headline-grabbing legal battles have stymied Stonehenge redevelopment plans for years. The proposed highway tunnel is under the purview of  National Highways, a UK government agency. The current plan, estimated to cost at least £2.5 billion, would reroute the existing A303 road into a new dual-carriageway tunnel. It would also replace parts of the A303 with a public walkway. In an online statement, National Highways said, “One of the most common myths is that the tunnel will be going under Stonehenge. This is just not true. It will in fact be further away than the current road.”

Campaigners against the highway plans remain committed to their cause. In a Stonehenge Alliance statement, Adams alleged that the agreed-upon amendment, which originated with a UNESCO representative from Kenya, “looked like it was written by National Highways. It is full of inaccuracies and misleading statements and is in denial about the impact of the road.”