PRESS RELEASE

New Roads and Climate Case to Head to the Courts

A legal challenge to the planning approval of the A57 Link Road [1], just outside the Peak District National Park, is set for a two day hearing in the High Court, starting tomorrow (3 October) at 10am. It is the latest in a string of climate based legal challenges to road schemes.

The A57 legal challenge is being brought by the Peak District and South Yorkshire branch of the CPRE, the countryside charity [2]. The grounds for the challenge include the scheme’s carbon impact and the harm caused to the Peak District and the Green Belt. The scheme’s planning permission was approved by Transport Secretary Mark Harper in November 2022.

Other campaigners around the country are also challenging the planning approval of large carbon emitting roads schemes, including the A38 Junctions scheme in Derby [3], the A303 dual carriageway and tunnel through the Stonehenge World Heritage Site [4], and three A47 schemes in Norfolk [5] which are being challenged at the Court of Appeal. The A57 scheme is the latest to go to the courts. Most of the legal challenges centre on the schemes’ climate and biodiversity impacts.

Rebecca Lush, roads and climate campaigner at Transport Action Network, said:

“This is another example of the Government pushing through a highly damaging road scheme in the face of all the evidence. The A57 scheme will simply drive more traffic through the Peak District National Park and will increase carbon emissions at a time when we need to rapidly decrease them to meet our legal obligations”

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Notes to Editors

[1]  More information about the A57 legal challenge can be found on the crowdfunding page: https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/stop-mottram-bypass/

[2] CPRE Peak District and South Yorkshire: https://www.cprepdsy.org.uk/

[3] A38 Derby Junctions crowdfunding page: https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/stop-the-a38-road-expansion-for-good/

[4] Save Stonehenge World heritage Site crowdfunding page: https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/save-stonehenge-world-heritage-site-again/

[5] More information about the legal challenge to the three A47 schemes in Norfolk: https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/stop-road-building-wrecking-climate-nature/