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<< News >> Rotherwas Ribbon road plans labelled 'cultural vandalism'

Submitted by coldrum on Saturday, 07 July 2007  Page Views: 2289

Site WatchCountry: England County: Herefordshire
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A councillor is leading a surge of anger against Herefordshire Council for the 'secretive' way in which it has made a decision to concrete over the now famous 'Rotherwas Ribbon'.

Green Councillor Gerald Dawe, whose ward includes the now world-famous 'Rotherwas Ribbon', has described the proposal to concrete over this hugely significant find as “cultural vandalism of the highest order.”

“The first I knew about this decision was on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, yet I am the ward councillor. Decision-making is again going on behind closed doors. A clique in the Council appear to have known about this find for a long time. Why are they excluding the Herefordshire public yet again?”

“It is appalling that democratically elected councillors and the general public have been kept in the dark. Allowing only 200 people to view it for a few minutes this weekend is completely inadequate. We need council leaders to involve the whole council and local people in coming up with a more imaginative solution than burying Hereford's Stonehenge under concrete."

Cllr Dawe has asked Council officials if English Heritage knew and if so when.

He has also asked: "How long has the importance of the site been known, which councillors knew about it and when, and who has made the decision to concrete over the find and keep this decision secret from both the public and their elected representatives?" Cllr. Dawe is still waiting for a reply.

“With such a significant find we must immediately pause the building of this road to allow further research and a national discussion about what can be done. The road will cost £12.5 million yet as a county we earn £170 million from tourism. The Stonehenge and Salisbury Tourism partnership say this could bring revenue to Hereford and they are right. So why on earth would we pour concrete over it?”

“This expensive road is for a small number of lorries to an industrial site when access could have been improved in cheaper and less damaging ways. The Council have gone against the government, the planning inspector and their own consultants to build a road which is completely unnecessary when other local industrial sites remain half empty.”

Campaigners are calling for road building to be paused allowing for full – and national - democratic debate on the best way of using the discovery for the whole country, and to the benefit of Herefordshire's economy.

Cllr Dawe said: “The economic benefit of the road needs urgently to be measured against the positive economic benefit of increased tourism.”

Cllr Dawe understands that 12 eminent archaeologists from English Heritage are visiting next week and that the Regional Director of English Heritage believes the Ribbon to be of great importance.

Nigel Swift, Chair of the UK-wide group Heritage Action, said: “We are appalled. Our immediate reaction is that this isn't a matter for local politics but should be out in the open. The Ribbon would appear to be a prime candidate to be scheduled by English Heritage. Until there is a clear understanding about this the road must be halted.”

Cllr Dawe added “The council's Good Environmental Management (GEM) strategy states '...sustainable development challenges especially pertinent to Herefordshire include protecting and enhancing it's outstanding landscape including sites and species of national, regional and local importance and minimising loss of biodiversity.' This find is not only local, and regional, it is nationally and internationally significant. I urge our Council to follow their own policies and start conserving instead of destroying."

Cllr Dawe is urging supporters to visit

Source: 24dash.

Lots more information on our Site Page and the campaign pages rotherwasribbon.com.
Contributor Bio for coldrum: Based in Milkyway, contributing since 2002. Favourite site: Avebury.

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"Rotherwas Ribbon road plans labelled 'cultural vandalism'" | Login/Create an Account | 4 News and Comments
  
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Experts want Rotherwas Ribbon preserved by coldrum on Monday, 09 July 2007
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A growing number of tourism and historical experts and politicians are calling for what is known in Herefordshire as the Rotherwas cul-de-sac to be halted and the Rotherwas Ribbon preserved.

Chair of Stonehenge and Salisbury Tourism Partnership Mary Webb, said Salisbury District Council would never dream of taking a quick decision to concrete over a monument like the Rotherwas Ribbon.

"I am more than willing to use my experience in Salisbury to help form a partnership of Herefordshire private businesses to speak as one voice to Herefordshire Council. Salisbury District Council recognise and support the value of tourism to the region. Herefordshire Council now needs to stand back and review with all the interested parties."

Former County Archaeologist, Ron Shoesmith, said: "The Rotherwas Ribbon is described as of world-wide importance. Is Herefordshire Council's road of such critical importance to the nation that this monument should be sacrificed? Come in English Heritage and do your stuff – it fits all the scheduling criteria!

Nigel Swift, Chair of the UK-wide group Heritage Action, said: “We are appalled. Our immediate reaction is that this isn't a matter for local politics but should be out in the open. The Ribbon would appear to be a prime candidate to be scheduled by English Heritage. Until there is a clear understanding about this the road must be halted.”

Bob Widdowson, Chair of Herefordshire Campaign for the Protection of Rural England (CPRE), said: "I am bemused by the plan to 'preserve' the site beneath the road. How comforting to know that this extraordinary find is there but no one can see it until a more enlightened generation tears up the road! A site of 4000 years and apparently of major international importance is to be preserved (buried) so that a road that most sensible people agree is in the wrong place and not needed can be finished 'on time'."

Ward councillor Gerald Dawe said: "English Heritage must consider what is the best way to preserve the Serpent regardless of the road, which is immaterial. We are concerned that there is no pressure put on English Heritage by a council determined to build a cul-de-sac for which there is no economic case."
http://www.24dash.com/news/2/23936/index.htm
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Heritage inspectors visit feature by coldrum on Monday, 09 July 2007
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English Heritage inspectors have been visiting a 4,000-year-old feature in Herefordshire to see if it should be preserved as an ancient monument.
Archaeologists have said the Rotherwas Ribbon, found by road builders, could be as important as Stonehenge.

Herefordshire Council said a protective shield will be built over the site to preserve it for future generations. A relief road will then be built over it.

If inspectors schedule the monument, work on the road will have to stop.

The 197ft (60m) long ribbon of stones was discovered by diggers working on the new access road in Rotherwas, near Hereford.

Unique site

It is made up of a series of deliberately fire-cracked stones and appears to have been deliberately sculptured to undulate through the whole of its length that has so far been uncovered.

Archaeologists have said there are no parallels to the site in the rest of Europe, with the closest similar artefact being the 2,000-year-old Serpent Mound of the Ohio River valley in the US, a 1,330ft (405m) long effigy of a serpent.

Dr Keith Ray, Herefordshire County Archaeologist, said the site was unique because it was built in three dimensions.

The inspectors are expected to give their verdicts in the next few weeks.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hereford/worcs/6285224.stm
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Bronze age Ribbon to be tarmacked by coldrum on Monday, 09 July 2007
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Bronze age Ribbon to be tarmacked

Plans to build a new road over a 4,000-year-old serpent-shaped feature in Herefordshire have been criticised.
Archaeologists have said the ribbon of stones, known as the Rotherwas Ribbon, is of similar importance to Stonehenge.

Herefordshire council said a protective shield will be built over the site to preserve it for future generations. A relief road will then be built over it.

But Mary Webb, of the Salisbury and Stonehenge Tourism Partnership, said it would generate revenue for the area.

She said the Ribbon should be preserved so that people and visitors could enjoy it.
She added: "Most places would cry out for an opportunity like this to actually generate income and wealth for the region."

Archaeologists have said there are no parallels to the site in the rest of Europe, with the closest similar artefact being the 2,000-year-old serpent mound of the Ohio River valley in the US.

Dr Keith Ray, Herefordshire County Archaeologist, said the site was unique because it was built in three dimensions, adding: "It sinuates down the hill but it's also going up and down, it's undulating. This is very unusual.

'Best practice'

"There would have been standing posts so it would have been quite an impressive monument."

He added: "Had we discovered this at a much earlier stage we could have featured it into the planning process.

"What we're doing is we're following best practice, basically enclosing it beneath the road to protect it for future generations.

"The road might go out of use and then it would be revealed."

Michael Hainge, the council's director for environment, said it was up to English Heritage to decide whether it would be designated as a Scheduled Ancient Monument.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/hereford/worcs/6272716.stm
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Story Links by coldrum on Monday, 09 July 2007
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http://anthropology.net/2007/07/06/rotherwas-ribbon-a-road-runs-through-it/

http://www.heritageaction.org/?page=theheritagejournal
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