Caring for the Site
We work as a partnership to protect, conserve and share the World Heritage Site for current and future generations.
The Management Plan
Our Plan provides an overarching strategy for caring for the site. It is a material consideration in planning decisions and provides an advisory framework for guiding management initiatives.
Co-creating the Plan
The current Management Plan was the first to be jointly produced for both Stonehenge and Avebury, building on previous separate plans.
The draft was co-created through stakeholder workshops, public drop-in sessions, professional focus groups and online surveys. Following a full public consultation on the draft, it was endorsed by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), and referred to UNESCO in 2015.
Themes of Management
The Plan aims to protect, conserve and share the World Heritage Site by balancing its needs with those of local communities, farmers, visitors, and nature conservation.
Setting Study – Supplementary Planning Document
In 2025, Wiltshire Council consulted on and adopted a Supplementary Planning Document for the Setting of Stonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site.
The document is used to ensure that developments in Wiltshire do not adversely impact the internationally significant monuments and the area they are located in. It ensures consistency in assessment and decision-making by providing guidance to support decision-makers, developers and designers, applicants and consultees.
World Heritage Site Condition Survey
Wessex Archaeology was commissioned by Historic England to undertake a condition survey of archaeological monuments within the Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites World Heritage Site.
This is a survey undertaken every 10 years as recommended in the management plan. Results and recommendations continue to actively inform the conservation of monuments.
Our Partnership
Working together is essential to ensure the World Heritage Site is cared for sustainably.