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nigelswift
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Press Release from Rotherwas Campaign
Jul 06, 2007, 11:08
Press release: Why bury Herefordshire's Stonehenge under concrete?
Rotherwas Ribbon must be protected and road building stopped
www.rotherwasribbon.com

A Herefordshire Councillor is leading a surge of anger against Herefordshire Council from local to global levels for the secretive way in which it has made a decision to concrete over the now famous 'Rotherwas Ribbon' – something the council's own archaeologist has described as having international significance. (1)

Green Councillor Gerald Dawe, whose ward includes the now world-famous 'Rotherwas Ribbon', has described the proposal to concrete over this hugely significant find as “cultural vandalism of the highest order.”

“The first I knew about this decision was on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, yet I am the ward councillor. Decision-making is again going on behind closed doors. A clique in the Council appear to have known about this find for a long time. Why are they excluding the Herefordshire public yet again?”

“It is appalling that democratically elected councillors and the general public have been kept in the dark. Allowing only 200 people to view it for a few minutes this weekend is completely inadequate. We need council leaders to involve the whole council and local people in coming up with a more imaginative solution than burying Hereford's Stonehenge under concrete."

Cllr. Dawe has asked Council officials if English Heritage knew and if so when? He has also asked: "How long has the importance of the site been known, which councillors knew about it and when, and who has made the decision to concrete over the find and keep this decision secret from both the public and their elected representatives?" Cllr. Dawe is still waiting for a reply.

“With such a significant find we must immediately pause the building of this road to allow further research and a national discussion about what can be done. The road will cost ￡12.5 million yet as a county we earn ￡170 million from tourism. The Stonehenge and Salisbury Tourism partnership say this could bring revenue to Hereford and they are right.(2) So why on earth would we pour concrete over it?”

“This expensive road is for a small number of lorries to an industrial site when access could have been improved in cheaper and less damaging ways. The Council have gone against the government, the planning inspector and their own consultants to build a road which is completely unnecessary when other local industrial sites remain half empty.”(3)(4)

Campaigners are calling for road building to be paused allowing for full – and national - democratic debate on the best way of using the discovery for the whole country, and to the benefit of Herefordshire's economy. Cllr. Dawe said: “The economic benefit of the road needs urgently to be measured against the positive economic benefit of increased tourism.”

It is understood that 12 eminent archaeologists from English Heritage are visiting next week and that the Regional Director of English Heritage believes the Ribbon to be of great importance.(5)

Nigel Swift, Chair of the UK-wide group Heritage Action, said: “We are appalled. Our immediate reaction is that this isn't a matter for local politics but should be out in the open. The Ribbon would appear to be a prime candidate to be scheduled by English Heritage. Until there is a clear understanding about this the road must be halted.” (6)

Cllr. Dawe added “The Council's Good Environmental Management (GEM) strategy states '...sustainable development challenges especially pertinent to Herefordshire include protecting and enhancing it's outstanding landscape including sites and species of national, regional and local importance and minimising loss of biodiversity.' (7) This find is not only local, and regional, it is nationally and internationally significant. I urge our Council to follow their own policies and start conserving instead of destroying.' (8)

Supporters are urged to visit www.rotherwasribbon.com to register their support, find out more, and take further actions.

Rob Hattersley
Herefordshire Green Party Press Officer
07969 692534
[email protected]
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