Challenge the restriction of public access to Stonehenge

Public access to view Stonehenge is being monopolised. As part of this process the public have been prohibited from driving and motorcycling on the minor roads which facilitate free and convenient viewing of the Stones. 

The Trail Riders Fellowship is challenging the ban in the High Court. 

Wiltshire Council imposed bans on public motor vehicle access to the roads to prevent the public from conveniently parking and taking a short walk or bicycle ride to enjoy a distant view of Stonehenge. The Council also seek to prevent motorcyclists from responsibly riding on the roads.

The banning of public motor vehicle access to the roads was considered by two public enquires, most recently in 2011. The recommendation was that public motor vehicle access should not be completely prohibited, espescially for motorcyclists that were found to cause little to no adverse impact on the roads and surrounding area.

The roads are not tarmaced and are in keeping with the area, having been purposefully diverted away from the Stones in the 1920's and late 1960's. The roads were constructed to safely and sustainainably accomodate motor vehicle traffic.
The roads and traffic on them are a compliment to the heritage and public enjoyment of the World Heritage Site in circumstances where the constant flow of buses from the visitor centre manifests itself as a theme park styled insult to the diginity of Stonehenge.

The Trail Riders Fellowship aims to conserve green roads and protect the public's interests in using them. The overwhelming majority of the public's green roads have been taken away from the public and downgraded to become overgrown and little used paths or restricted byways - a pale imitation of the thriving roads that the public were once able to enjoy.

We see that the anti-public access industry is directing Wiltshire Council to inflict the same fate on the Stonehenge roads, with the intention of diminishing public access as a means to monopolising enjoyment of the area and the view of the Stones. It is apparent that an exclusive approach is being taken to the management of the area, with membership of the Councils' club being confined to those that subscribe to aims of denying public access.

The symptom of this approach is a ban on public traffic which the Trail Riders Fellowship consider to be unlawful. The ban has been imposed on the pretence of conducting an experiment. The process for imposing the ban excluded the Councils own advisory body on such matters - the Wiltshire Countryside Access Forum - as well as organisations representing the public's interests in accessing the roads and enjoying a view of the Stones.

The Trail Riders Fellowship is challenging the ban in the High Court. Adrian Pay of New Square Chambers and Margaret Stevenson of Brain Chase Coles are acting on this case with the support of the team at 218 Strand Chambers. 

We ask for your support in this case. If we are successful the result should help to protect public access on the Stonehenge roads and others. Unspent donations for the Stonehenge case will be credited to the Trail Riders Fellowships fighting fund, to be used on challenging similar bans on public access.