
Lyneham Banks: UK's wonkiest road opens after three-year closure
Ms Blacker said the lengthy diversion route meant the school run could take two hours each day."It's been a struggle," she said. "I'm a mum with four children. It's meant a huge amount of time in the car. It's been frustrating, but I'm excited."
Ms Blacker said there was anger when the road first closed, but added this had died down over time.She said people are now in "high spirits" at the opening."It is going to give everybody more time," she added.
John Williams lives in Lyneham and can see the road from his home.He said the diversion meant he had to drive an additional 5,000 miles (8,047km) during the three-year closure."I'm not angry," he said. "I just sort of accepted it really. [It was] just one of those things we had to put up with."Mr Williams said he is impressed by the work, especially with the planting of new hedgerows and trees."They've really worked hard - they've got it done on time."
The project has been described as "challenging" by both the council and the contractor Octavius.This was because the land was moving for a while after the landslip, and meant there had to be a lot of investigation to work out how to repair it.Now the road is open once again, Ms Blacker said she will be travelling down it blasting On The Road Again by Willy Nelson.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


BBC News
09-06-2025
- BBC News
The 150 page document that aims to help protect Stonehenge
The Stonehenge World Heritage Site is big - so big, it is actually split in two, with much of it around have lived and worked in the area long before they were ever declared a World Heritage Site - so when someone needs to build something, how do you make sure it will not negatively affect the much loved sites?That is where a new draft document of more than 150 A4 pages comes in. Officially labelled a "supplementary planning document", Wiltshire Council's cabinet member for environment, Paul Sample JP, called it an "important draft document that will help protect an historic and vital part of our heritage". It would act as guidance to people wanting to undertake any development - whether a small garden extension or a solar farm - and those making the final as it is only a draft at the moment, Wiltshire Council has it open for consultation and wants to hear from the public. Mr Sample JP said: "At Stonehenge and Avebury we have inherited one of the most important landscapes in the world. "It's essential that there is clear guidance so that any planning decisions affecting the World Heritage Site do not impact it adversely."It explains what needs to be taken into account and shows if there are extra assessments that need to be done to make sure a project will not impact the area negatively. There are some considerations that you would not usually expect to find in a planning document. For example, it discusses astronomy. That is because not only Stonehenge, but a few of the monuments - including Woodhenge and Durrington Walls - are shown to have alignments to solstices and lunar movements. "We know Stonehenge was used as a kind of sun calendar," explained Melanie Pomeroy-Kellinger, who is a manager for archaeology, landscape and historic environment at Wiltshire Council."We can't allow a massive development on the line of midsummer solstice for example. That would interfere with people's enjoyment and understanding of the importance of those alignments."Any development that is too tall for example, might affect the view, give off too much light pollution or reflections that could affect the sites. It also talks about views in the area and how monuments connect to each other, some very obviously, like avenues and ridges. "It's really important to think about it as ceremonial landscape," said Claire Selman, also a member of the team working with the council. "They might have been designed to be visible from one another" she added, mentioning that many also have connections to and woodland are also mentioned - some in a positive light, but it also notes the fact that some already in the area do not fit, with one in particular affecting the winter solstice. George Downs, who also works with the council, explained that while they are looking to introduce the Supplementary Planning Document, it does not mean there was nothing in place document integrates UNESCO Guidance on Heritage Impact Assessments and advice from Historic England with the National Planning Policy Framework and Local Plan requirements."There is a World Heritage Site Partnership which has had a management plan for the site which we last compiled in 2015," he said."It has an action plan which is reviewed every year."But this new document would give extra information and detail which, if adopted, will be used to ensure that any developments do not adversely impact the internationally significant monuments. The Supplementary Planning Document was created between the council, Chris Blandford Associates and has had input from the World Heritage Site can comment on the consultation online until 17 June, when there is also a recorded webinar to watch. There are also two more drop-in events to speak to people face-to-face being held at Amesbury Library on Monday 9 June and Marlborough Library on 12 June, both from 16:00 BST until 19:00 the council has been through the comments, it will consider the final version in October.


BBC News
04-06-2025
- BBC News
Army of "citizen scientists" to help check Wiltshire air quality
A council is recruiting what it describes as an army "citizen scientists" to monitor local air newly formed Wiltshire Community Air Network is due to launch with 100 air quality sensors, which will be installed in air pollution hotspots around the sensors measure PM2.5 air pollution, small particles in the air that can increase the risk of health problems and be damaging to the of the public and organisations including schools and hospitals will be asked to mount a sensor outside their home or building. The project is Wiltshire Council's first step in gathering evidence on local PM2.5 sensors, which are about the size of a mobile phone, need to be plugged into mains power and have access to a stable internet council will be allocating sensors to each of the 18 community areas of Wiltshire based on the size of the population, prioritising applications from schools, NHS buildings, and supported housing data from the sensors will be publicly available online, so that people can see air pollution levels across Wiltshire in real time. Gary Tomsett, environmental control and protection team manager at Wiltshire Council said that the new project was a necessary step forward: "Existing monitoring indicates that the air quality in Wiltshire is predominantly very good."However, there are a small number of locations where the combination of traffic, road layout, and physical features of an area result in pollutants being trapped so that concentrations increase to unacceptable levels," he polluted routes include London Road in Salisbury, Warminster Road in Westbury, Wadworth Corner in Devizes and Mason's Lane in Bradford on council currently has professional-grade air quality monitoring stations in Salisbury, Bradford-on-Avon, Marlborough, and Devizes, but the equipment is expensive, costing tens of thousands of pounds to purchase and maintain. What is PM2.5 and Why does it matter? PM2.5 pollution is defined as small particles in the air that can increase the risk of health problems and be damaging to the most common sources of PM2.5 particulates are vehicle emissions, industrial discharges, and biomass burning – including domestic wood tiny particulates can get into the human bloodstream through the lungs, and are responsible for an estimated 29,000 deaths in the UK every is not currently part of the UK Government's Local Air Quality Management framework, so local authorities are not required to monitor and report PM2.5 levels.


The Independent
02-06-2025
- The Independent
The ‘prettiest village in England' launches war on drones
Residents of Castle Combe in the Cotswolds, known as 'the prettiest village in England,' are calling for a ban on tourist drones after incidents of privacy invasion, including one report of a resident being filmed while taking a bath. 'No drone zone' signs have been posted across the village, including on homes, the local church, and the public car park, due to constant drone flights over gardens and streets. A retired police officer, Hilary Baker, reported that some visitors have lost their moral compass, recounting incidents of drones hovering over gardens and near bathroom windows, leading to verbal abuse when residents ask pilots to stop. Police were called last month on a drone pilot who verbally abused locals and allegedly filmed children playing in a back garden; Wiltshire Council has since put up signs warning drone pilots about violating privacy guidelines. A survey by the parish council chairman, Fred Winup, revealed that over half of tourists visit Castle Combe after seeing it online, with many influenced by social media posts on platforms like Instagram and TikTok, leading to increased drone usage and privacy concerns.