Full Business Case for the A303 Amesbury to Berwick Down Project
Case reference EIR2025/02031
Received 30 October 2025
Published 15 January 2026
Request
A303 Amesbury to Berwick Down Project (The Stonehenge Tunnel).
I believe this FBC should now be available and I request a copy.
Please explain how the financial impact of the decision to revoke the DCO was assessed. Please provide supporting documentation.
Response
I believe this FBC should now be available and I request a copy.
Please find enclosed a copy of the Full Business Case (FBC) for this scheme.
In July 2023, drafting of a Full Business Case (FBC) commenced to bringing the document up to date with the latest information. At this time the DCO had been redetermined and an application for permission for Judicial Review against the decision made.
The FBC was approved subject to a number of conditions, including that full approval and start of construction would be subject to conclusion of all legal challenges. As a consequence of the conditional approval of the FBC, it was categorised as a draft document.
The FBC enclosed has been redacted in accordance with the exceptions at Regulation 12 (5) (a) for security purposes, and Regulation 12 (5) (e) where commercial information has been removed. The application of these exceptions requires a public interest test, details of which are attached separately.
Personal data has also been removed in accordance with Regulation 13.
Please note that redactions are colour-coded per exception as follows:
Black - Regulation 13 Personal Data
Blue - Regulation 12 (5)(e) Commercial or industrial information
Green - Regulation 12 (5) (a) National Security and Public Safety
Please explain how the financial impact of the decision to revoke the DCO was assessed. Please provide supporting documentation.
The DCO for the scheme remains live until 2 August 2028, at which point it will expire if no development has taken place. Given the decision to cancel the scheme we are mindful landowners and local residents who would have been impacted by the DCO deserve certainty along with removing the rights of any land acquisition. Providing this level of certainty can only be provided by revocation of the DCO and requires no assessment of the financial impact.
The Secretary of State for Transport has therefore proposed to exercise the power to make an order to revoke the A303 (Amesbury to Berwick Down) DCO. It should be noted that publication of the Business Case is not a requirement for any scheme undertaking this process.
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