WORK on a new cycleway in Amesbury is being put on hold after controversial plans for a tunnel on the A303 were scrapped.

Wiltshire Council has announced it will delay work on the project, at Countess Way in Amesbury, which was due to get underway in the coming weeks.

The Government announced the decision to cancel the A303 Stonehenge tunnel project last month in a bid to save money, in a decision that prompted celebration from campaigners opposed to the scheme.

The new cycleway, which includes the installation of a pedestrian crossing on Countess Road, is part of the Wiltshire Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP), and part of a strategic route linking Salisbury and National Cycle Network 45 to Stonehenge.

Active Travel England allocated funding for the design and construction of the pedestrian toucan crossing element of the scheme, with the additional funding being provided as part of the community benefits associated with the A303 Stonehenge tunnel scheme.

However, as the tunnel scheme has been cancelled, the council said it no longer has access to additional funding.

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Cllr Tamara Reay, cabinet member for transport, said: “Following the Government’s decision to cancel the A303 Stonehenge project, we have taken the difficult decision to postpone our work on the cycle scheme at Countess Road in Amesbury, including the installation of the pedestrian toucan crossing.

“We could install the toucan crossing now, but because the funding for the rest of the scheme is now uncertain – which is beyond our control – we cannot commit to it at this stage.

“We are reviewing all the local implications following the Government’s announcement and if funding does become available for this cycle path, we have a well-developed scheme ready to take forward once again.

“Following the cancellation of the A303 Stonehenge tunnel project, we are committed to working with our local partners in the area to find solutions to the congestion and rat running suffered by local communities.”