UNESCO Decides Against Listing Stonehenge as 'In Danger'

The United Nations' cultural agency has rejected recommendations to list Stonehenge as a world heritage site in danger. Controversial plans to build a nearby highway tunnel had raised concerns, but the decision was welcomed by the British government. The project aims to ease traffic and reduce congestion around the site.

The United Nations' cultural agency has decided against placing Stonehenge on its list of world heritage sites in danger, despite concerns over a planned highway tunnel nearby. UNESCO experts had suggested the prehistoric site could be threatened by the project aimed at reducing traffic congestion.

Had the UNESCO committee in New Delhi approved the recommendation, it would have pressured British authorities. While inclusion in the 'In Danger' list isn't punitive, it seeks to draw international attention to needed conservation efforts. Sites can be de-listed if issues aren't addressed.

Kenya and Qatar supported the British government's argument that the planned tunnel's impacts were adequately mitigated. The UK welcomed the decision, noting Stonehenge's significant historical value. The highway project, decades in planning, has faced legal and local opposition over environmental concerns. Britain's updated conservation report is due by December 2025.

(With inputs from agencies.)