could agree on. That took from July 2008 to January 2009. We needed to build something that
was going to be a positive addition to the World Heritage Site, without it having any adverse visual or environ- mental impact. Our brief was always to build something that could be reversed if it needed to be. We were conscious when we started the project that we might fi nd precious archaeo- logical remains once building started. Actually we didn’t, but we still pro- ceeded to build in this way.
The proximity of the roads around Stonehenge has also been a major problem hasn’t it? Yes, the A344 cut through the site. When Stonehenge and Avebury were put on World Heritage Site register in
ISSUE 2 2014 © cybertrek 2014
1986, the government said it would close that road – that fi nally hap- pened in June 2013.
It took so long because it was a fundamental part of all the schemes put forward since 1986 that didn’t proceed. When the Airman’s Corner scheme got planning permission we still had to apply for a Stopping Up order for the road, which went to a public inquiry. We still have the A303 running very close, but that’s had a whisper surface applied to it and it’s now noticeably quieter.
How has the project been funded? The £27m Stonehenge Environmental Improvements Programme is the larg- est capital project ever undertaken by English Heritage. The project has been fi nanced almost entirely by
The centre sets out to offer the latest knowledge on Stonehenge: what it is, why it’s there, who built it
Heritage Lottery Fund money (£10m), English Heritage commercial income and philanthropic donations includ- ing signifi cant gifts from the Garfi eld Weston Foundation, the Linbury Trust and the Wolfson Foundation.
What does the centre replace? The visitor facilities at the Stone Circle dated back to 1968 and were totally inadequate for what’s expected of a visitor attraction today. They consisted of a basic concrete building housing a shop and catering unit, and various Portakabins for staff facilities and toilets.
Read Leisure Management online
leisuremanagement.co.uk/digital 75
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