Campaigners have launched a legal challenge to try to prevent billions of pounds of taxpayers money being spent on a huge road-building programme, which they say breaches the UKs legal commitments to tackle the climate crisis and air pollution.
Lawyers acting for the Transport Action Network (Tan) have begun legal proceedings against the Department for Transport calling for the road building scheme, which was confirmed last month by the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, to be suspended.
They argue that ministers did not take into account the governments legally binding commitment to reach net zero emissions by 2050. They also say the government has not considered whether the £27bn programme is in line with its obligations under the Paris climate agreement.
The move follows a successful challenge to the proposed third runway at Heathrow. In that case the court ruled that the planned airport expansion was illegal because ministers did not adequately take into account the governments commitments to tackle the climate crisis.
The road-building programme is thought to be the UKs largest and would lead to thousands of miles of new roads being built across the country in the coming years – with at least 50 projects due to be under way in the next two years.
The UKs road network and its wider transport infrastructure are crucial in the countrys efforts to avoid the worst impacts of the climate crisis. The transport sector is the biggest emitter of greenhouse gases and the only one to have increased its emissions in recent years.
Chris Todd, Tans director, said it was impossible to take the government seriously on the threat posed by climate change when it is “set to burn billions on the largest ever roads programme”.
“This massive roads programme has become like a juggernaut thats out of control, that no one can stop. We now have no choice but to go to court to prevent an unfolding disaster.”
Tan wrote to the secretary of state following the court of appeals Heathrow decision in February requesting a pause in the road-building programme to allow time to reconsider its environmental effects. It said it did not receive a response to that letter. Lawyers have sent a pre-action protocol letter that is the official start of legal proceedings.
Rowan Smith, from solicitors Leigh Day, which is pursuing the case on behalf of Tan, said the group was raising “legitimate concerns” at a time when it was “widely established” that the climate emergency “demands a move away from a continued reliance on fossil fuels towards more sustainable transport”.
The Department for Transport has been contacted for comment.
READ MORE FROM SOURCE: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/apr/21/campaigners-take-legal-action-over-27bn-uk-road-building-scheme
