Wildlife group to challenge government in court over Expressway

THE Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust is issuing a claim in the High Court against the government regarding the Oxford to Cambridge Expressway.

The Trust has stated yesterday, November 21, that it is challenging the government because Highways England failed to commission a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) or a Habitats Regulation Assessment (HRA) as part of the process of selecting a ‘Growth Corridor’ within which the Expressway and associated housing will be built.

“This is required under European law for schemes that impact on the environment such as this,” the Trust has said. “This means the true environmental impact has not been properly considered, and the public has been denied the opportunity to fully scrutinise the comparative economic, societal and environmental impacts of the options.”

The Trust believes that The Court will consider the case’s merits and anticipates that there will be a Judicial Review hearing in the New Year.

The corridor will be broadly aligned with the proposed East-West rail route from Abingdon to south Milton Keynes via Winslow. It is yet to be decided whether the route will pass west or east of Oxford.

Follow the LINK to read BBOWT’s full statement  and related new stories HERE