Wild Justice files application for judicial review of Planning and Infrastructure Bill
Wild Justice, a conservation group, filed an application for judicial review in the High Court on 11 June 2025, challenging a claim made by the Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner, in April 2025 that the Planning and Infrastructure Bill would not reduce environmental protections. Wild Justice argues that Rayner failed to provide a legal rationale for her statement and intends to challenge it on the grounds that it is either legally incorrect or irrational. The challenge, supported by a legal opinion from expert planning barristers, contends that the Bill weakens existing environmental protections by removing the requirement to prove—beyond reasonable scientific doubt—that a proposed development will not adversely affect a protected site. The Office for Environmental Protection, named as an interested party in the claim, has also criticised the Bill, describing it as a ‘regression’ for environmental protections in law.