Second legal challenge involving Stonehenge Tunnel Scheme launched
Another High Court battle is underway
Last updated 29th Jun 2021
A legal challenge over the Government's controversial £27bn road investment plan is being heard at the High Court in London.
In April 2020, the Department for Transport (DfT) set out its Road Investment Strategy 2 for major roads in England from April 2020 to March 2025.
It includes controversial plans for the A303 Stonehenge Tunnel and the Lower Thames Crossing linking Kent and Essex.
The Transport Action Network (Tan), which supports sustainable transport campaigns, has brought legal action against the DfT claiming the scheme breaches climate and air quality laws.
The group has also accused the DfT of failing to take account of the Paris Agreement, which commits signatories such as the UK to tackle climate change by taking measures to limit global warming to well below 2C.
The legal bid is expected to last two days.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has said the strategy will "create a road network that is safe, reliable and efficient for everyone".
Tan has previously said its case builds on the Court of Appeal's ruling in February that the Government failed to take account of its commitment to the Paris Agreement on climate change when setting out its support for Heathrow expansion.
Last week the High Court heard a separate challenge from the group Save Stonehenge World Heritage Site (SSWHS), which brought its own action over Mr Shapps' decision to green-light the £1.7 bn development to overhaul eight miles of the A303, including the two-mile tunnel near Stonehenge.
The go-ahead was given in November despite advice from Planning Inspectorate officials that it would cause "permanent, irreversible harm" to the Unesco World Heritage Site in Wiltshire.