In September 2004, English Heritage submitted a planning application for new visitor facilities and dispersed access arrangements at Stonehenge.

Since then, the application has been under consideration by Salisbury District Council. On 26 July 2005, the council decided to refuse planning permission for the scheme.

English Heritage submitted a new application to Salisbury District Council which was approved on 10 July 2006.

In common with all projects of this size, the scheme must be carefully designed and planned to minimise its environmental impact. After careful analysis of the plans and the weighing of merits against impacts, the National Trust was able to announce, subject to some unresolved matters, our support for the scheme.

We see the Visitor Centre and the Access Scheme as dependent on the road and therefore the location of the Visitor Centre and its related services should follow agreement on the right long term solution for the road.

In our view, the plans represent an opportunity to move towards our shared vision of re-uniting the stones with their surrounding landscape, restoring the dignity of this unique site and enriching the experience for nearly three quarters of a million people who visit each year. These are all key objectives of the World Heritage Site Management Plan.

The main features of the proposals submitted by English Heritage are:

• Removal of the existing visitor facilities and car park, together with the removal of traffic from the A344 and restoration to reduce its visual impact in the landscape. The current facilities - branded a 'national disgrace' by Parliament in 1993 - are sited very close to the Stones. Their removal will greatly improve the area’s special ‘spirit of place’, encouraging people to linger and explore.

• Construction of a new visitor centre outside the World Heritage Site. Visitors will be able to learn more about the mysteries of Stonehenge and its landscape using educational displays, real artefacts and audio-visual presentations; features that are sadly absent from the current facilities.

• Development of a carefully designed land train system to bring people from the visitor centre into the archaeologically rich landscape. Most of the route crosses National Trust land and is designed with twin ‘arms’ and multiple drop off/pick up points to enable visitors to roam freely around the landscape. It will give them a choice of how they experience Stonehenge and its surrounding monuments, and by encouraging dispersal, promises to reduce the type of local overcrowding that has detracted from the visitor experience to date.

An indicative map of the scheme is available to download (PDF/83KB) as a PDF document and more information on the scheme and the detailed planning application are available from Salisbury District Council at www.salisbury.gov.uk.