UN cultural agency rejects plan to place Britain's Stonehenge on list of heritage sites in danger

LONDON (AP) — The United Nations’ cultural agency rejected recommendations Wednesday to place Stonehenge on the list of endangered world heritage sites over concerns that Britain’s plans to build a nearby highway tunnel threaten the landscape around the prehistoric monument.

UNESCO experts had recommended listing the stone circle on a plain in southern England as “in danger” over contentious plans to redevelop the highway. The highway project has been touted for decades but mired in legal challenges. It aims to move the congested A303 highway underground and slightly farther from Stonehenge.

UNESCO said a site’s inclusion on its List of World Heritage Sites in Danger is not punitive and instead is aimed at drawing international attention to the urgent need for conservation measures and “encourage corrective action.” If issues are not addressed, sites could be de-listed by UNESCO, though that is rare.

Adding Stonehenge to the list, however, would have increased pressure on the government to reconsider the highway plan, which has faced opposition from residents and archaeologists.

https://apnews.com/article/unesco-stonehenge-danger-list-978702e1faa1528a490edb67dbe20873