A plan to build thousands of new homes for soldiers returning from Germany could have to be changed – because they will be built in the exact spot on the horizon where the sun rises on the summer solstice at Stonehenge.
The Ministry of Defence said they were "aware of the issues" and were organising a meeting with experts on the stones.
Last night there were growing calls for the site in question, on a 100-year-old airfield at Larkhill in Wiltshire, to be discounted from the plans to house 4,000 soldiers and their families returning from bases in Germany.
The Ministry of Defence, which is running a consultation process for the rest of March, held a meeting last week on the massive expansion of the army bases in the area. Simon Banton, a Stonehenge guide and one of the leading archaeo-astronomer experts on the stones, has called for the impact on the world famous relics to be taken into consideration.
He said that military chiefs back in 1910 knew all about the position of the rising sun on summer solstice day, and positioned two of the first-ever aircraft hangars built in Britain – at a new military airfield at Larkhill – so they left a gap on the horizon and did not block the view of the sun as it rose.
Mr Banton has lobbied for a copse of trees that has grown up since then and also obstructs the view to be cleared, but said the biggest threat comes from two potential development sites outlined in the MoD's consultation plans.
He explained: "Stonehenge is the focus of a World Heritage Site of enormous cultural importance. It is internationally famous, instantly recognisable and the solstitial alignment of the monument is intrinsic to its original purpose. To propose building across this alignment invites a global storm of protest from groups as diverse as heritage bodies, astronomers, prehistorians, Unesco, religious orders and the wider public.
"The MoD needs to demonstrate that it is fully sensitive to the World Heritage Site in order to avoid the potential outrage and reputational damage, not only to itself but also to Britain in the eyes of the world."
Mr Banton added: "When Larkhill Aerodrome was first established in the early 20th century, a series of aeroplane sheds was built along the east side of Wood Road.
"These early military and civilian aviators were keenly aware of their responsibility and so a wide space was deliberately left between the aeroplane sheds at the north end and those further south in order to allow the summer solstice sunrise to continue to shine unobstructed down to Stonehenge.
"This space became known as the Sun Gap. Although the original Sun Gap is now obstructed by tall trees along Wood Road, Tombs Road and the western edge of the plantation north of Fargo Road, the possibility presently exists that the summer solstice sunrise sightline from Stonehenge to the Larkhill horizon could be fully restored.
"This possibility will be entirely removed if the sites are built upon. The MoD should follow in the honourable tradition of those early military and civilian aviators who recognised and respected the importance of the sightline to Stonehenge and abandon the plans to build across it.
"Furthermore, it should take this opportunity to restore the original summer solstice sunrise sightline entirely," he said.
English Heritage and Unesco are understood to be considering Mr Banton's report before commenting, but the curator of the Wiltshire Museum, David Dawson, agreed the Sun Gap was important to preserve.
"Today, if you look towards the horizon there are some trees but even in 1910 when there were some aircraft hangars built they left a gap between them so that you could still see the sunrise," he said.
The MoD said it would meet with the organisations in charge of Stonehenge to discuss the issue.
"We are aware of the issues being raised concerning the Larkhill area and are in the process of organising a meeting with all statutory consultees in order to discuss them," a spokesman said.
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