Stonehenge World Heritage Site Management Plan 2009 Sky Eyeaerialphotography 2004©EnglishHeritagePhotoLibraryK040312 Stonehenge and itssurroundings Cover Stonehenge isthefocusofacomplexprehistoricmonumentsandsites peoples wholeftusthisrichlegacy. can betterunderstandtheextraordinaryachievementsofprehistoric presented, interpretedandenhancedwherenecessary,sothatvisitors landscape morefully.Wewillalsoensurethatitsspecialqualitiesare setting forit,allowingpresentandfuturegenerationstoenjoyitthe its archaeologyandwillprovideamoretranquil,biodiverserural without parallel.Wewillcareforandsafeguardthisspecialarea prehistoric monumentsandsites,whichtogetherformalandscape Stonehenge, butforitsuniqueanddenseconcentrationofoutstanding The StonehengeWorldHeritageSiteisgloballyimportantnotjustfor The VisionforStonehenge Rachel Foster 2003 © English Heritage Stonehenge World Heritage Site Management Plan 2009 Written and compiled by Christopher Young, Amanda Chadburn and Isabelle Bedu Published in January 2009 by English Heritage on behalf of the Stonehenge World Heritage Site Committee © English Heritage 2009 English Heritage, 1 Waterhouse Square, 138–142 Holborn, London EC1N 2ST ISBN: 978-1-84802-041-2 CONTENTS Page FOREWORD 6 PREFACE 7 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 8 PART 1: THE MANAGEMENT PLAN AND THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STONEHENGE WORLD HERITAGE SITE 9 1.0 Function of the World Heritage Site Management Plan 11 1.1 The need for the Plan 11 1.2 The status of the Plan 12 1.3 The purpose of the Plan 12 1.4 The structure of the Plan 13 1.5 The process of developing the Plan 13 1.6 Data Sources 15 2.0 Assessment of the 2000 World Heritage Site Management Plan 15 2.1 Evaluation of the 2000 Management Plan 15 2.2 Public Inquiries and Government decisions affecting the 2000 Vision for the WHS 18 2.3 Changes in knowledge since 2000 19 2.4 The “core zone” of the 2000 Management Plan 20 3.0 Description and significance of the World Heritage Site 20 3.1 Location and boundary of the Stonehenge part of the WHS 20 Location 20 The Stonehenge WHS and its boundary 20 3.2 Description of the World Heritage Site 21 Brief description 21 The cultural heritage of the World Heritage Site 21 The character of the WHS and its regional context 23 3.3 Significance of the World Heritage Site 25 The Outstanding Universal Value of the WHS 25 Statement of Significance 25 Attributes of Outstanding Universal Value for the Stonehenge part of the WHS 28 Authenticity and Integrity 32 Other cultural heritage and historic environment values 34 Landscape and nature conservation values 34 Educational and research values 36 Social, artistic and spiritual values 36 Tourism and economic values 37 2 Stonehenge World Heritage Site Management Plan 2009 Contents Page 4.0 Current policy context 37 4.1 Planning and policy framework 37 4.2 Relationship to other statutory and management plans 38 4.3 Historic environment designations 39 4.4 Landscape and nature conservation designations 40 4.5 Government position on road and visitor centre 40 5.0 Current management context 41 5.1 The Stonehenge WHS executive and consultative groups 41 5.2 The Stonehenge WHS team 41 5.3 Working groups and liaison with key partners 41 5.4 Funding arrangements for the WHS team 41 5.5 Relationship to the Avebury part of the WHS 42 5.6 Ownership and management roles 43 5.7 The role of English Heritage 43 5.8 The role of the National Trust 44 5.9 The local community 44 5.10 Agriculture 44 5.11 Agri-environmental schemes 45 5.12 The military 46 5.13 Woodland and forestry management 47 5.14 Royal Society for the Protection of Birds 47 5.15 Museums 47 5.16 The Geographic Information System database 47 PART 2: KEY MANAGEMENT ISSUES 49 6.0 Introduction to key issues 50 7.0 Planning and policy 52 7.1 UNESCO Policies and Guidance 52 7.2 Changes to the English planning system 54 7.3 Heritage Protection Reform 55 7.4 English Heritage’s Conservation Principles 57 7.5 Government statements affecting Stonehenge 57 7.6 The WHS boundary and buffer zone 57 7.7 Development control 59 8.0 Conservation 60 8.1 The condition of archaeological monuments and sites in the WHS 60 8.2 The settings of the WHS and its attributes of OUV 62 8.3 Monument management 64 8.4 Agricultural practices 65 8.5 Conservation of other parts of the historic environment 66 8.6 Nature conservation 66 8.7 Climate change 70 8.8 Risk management and counter-disaster preparedness 70 Stonehenge World Heritage Site Management Plan 2009 3 Contents Page 9.0 Visitor, tourism and education issues 71 9.1 Sustainable tourism 71 9.2 Public access 74 9.3 Visitor management 75 9.4 Solstice management 77 9.5 Physical impacts on the Site 78 9.6 Existing visitor facilities 78 9.7 The need for improved visitor facilities 79 9.8 Interpretation, education and museums 79 10.0 Roads and traffic 81 10.1 Highways network and usage 81 10.2 Road safety 83 10.3 Public transport provision and sustainable access 83 10.4 Car parking facilities and usage 84 11.0 Research 85 11.1 The importance of research in the WHS 85 11.2 The archaeological research framework 85 11.3 Archaeological research priorities 85 11.4 Sustainable archaeological research 86 11.5 The archiving of archaeological finds, paper archives and data 87 11.6 Research links with Avebury and beyond 87 12.0 Maintaining the long-term objectives of the Management Plan 88 13.0 Management, liaison and monitoring arrangements for the World Heritage Site 88 13.1 Management and liaison within the WHS 88 13.2 Revision of WHS governance 90 13.3 Funding and Resources 90 13.4 Relationship to the Avebury WHS 91 13.5 Monitoring and reviewing the Plan 92 13.6 Monitoring indicators 92 PART 3: AIMS AND POLICIES 97 14.0 Vision, aims and policies 99 14.1 Vision 99 14.2 Statutory and Policy Framework 100 14.3 The designation and boundaries of the World Heritage Siten 101 14.4 Conservation of the World Heritage Site 102 14.5 Sustainable Tourism and Visitor Management 107 14.6 Sustainable Traffic Management and Transportation 111 14.7 Research 113 14.8 Long-term objectives for the World Heritage Site 114 14.9 Management, Liaison and Monitoring 114 4 Stonehenge World Heritage Site Management Plan 2009 Contents Page PART 4: IMPLEMENTING THE PLAN 117 15.0 Action Plan 118 BIBLIOGRAPHY 133 APPENDICES 137 A. Membership and terms of reference of the Stonehenge WHS Committee 139 B. Membership and terms of reference of the Stonehenge WHS Advisory Forum 141 C. The WHS Management Plan public consultation process 142 D. Statement of principles governing archaeological work in the Stonehenge WHS 145 E. The role of the WHS Coordinator 148 F. Reports and Decisions from the World Heritage Committee and Bureau referring to Stonehenge 149 G. Detailed archaeological description of the Stonehenge World Heritage Site 155 H. Stonehenge Regulations 1997 158 I. Key publications, surveys and education resources 160 J. MOD and MPBW Concordat on Future Building Work at Larkhill 164 K. ICOMOS International Cultural Tourism Charter 166 L. Bodies with an interest in the WHS 167 M. The English Heritage Stonehenge GIS 168 N. Article 4 Direction in relation to land around Stonehenge 169 O. Regional, sub-regional and local planning policies of relevance to Stonehenge 170 P. The “Vision for the Future” extract from the Stonehenge WHS Management Plan 2000 172 MAPS 173 1. The Stonehenge World Heritage Site 175 2. Archaeology and Land Use 176 3. Grass Restoration since 2000 177 4. Access 178 5. Land Ownership 179 6. Heritage Designations 180 7. Landscape and Nature Conservation Designations 181 8. Regional Landscape Context 182 9. Landscape Character 183 10. Visual Sensitivity 184 FACTS AND FIGURES 187 DEFINITIONS 188 ABBREVIATIONS 193 INDEX 194 ILLUSTRATIONS AND TABLES 1. The Aims which should be prioritised during the lifetime of the Plan according to the Consultation exercise 15 2. Location of the Stonehenge and Avebury WHS in the UK 20 3. Location of the Stonehenge and Avebury WHS in southern England 20 4. Number of collisions and casualties in the WHS between March 2005 and April 2008 83 5. Key monitoring indicators for the Stonehenge WHS 94 6. The Stonehenge WHS Action Plan 119 7. Larkhill Concordat map 165 Stonehenge World Heritage Site Management Plan 2009 5 Contents FOREWORD by Barbara Follet, Minister for Culture, Creative Industries and Tourism This new Management Plan is being introduced at a key point in the development of Stonehenge. It provides the strategic framework for environmental improvements, including the closure of the junction of the A303 and A344 and the re-location and upgrading of the current visitor facilities. It also provides the overall policy framework for the integrated management of the whole World Heritage Site and will guide those with a particular interest in its care. The Plan demonstrates the Government’s commitment to protect and enhance this unique and important Site.We are committed to its implementation and will continue to work closely with our many partners to achieve this goal.The I am pleased to present this revised Management Plan for the Government is determined to make the necessary road Stonehenge World Heritage Site. changes, improve the visitor facilities and interpretation by 2012 and strengthen the partnerships in place to help Management Plans are the frameworks in which our World manage the Stonehenge World Heritage Site. Heritage Sites work to ensure their continued sustainable use and the maintenance of their Outstanding Universal Value for I am extremely grateful to all those who have worked so generations to come.They are fundamental to meeting our hard in the last decade to bring about positive change at international obligations under the World Heritage Stonehenge, in particular English Heritage, the National Trust, Convention. the Highways Agency, Natural England, the RSPB, the Ministry of Defence,Wiltshire County Council, Salisbury District Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites is one of Britain’s Council, the World Heritage Site landowners and all the best known World Heritage Sites.