National Highways has lodged a High Court breach of contract claim against WSP over the consultancy’s role as lead advisor on its roadmap to net zero for the strategic road network. The dispute centres on advisory work underpinning National Highways’ decarbonisation strategy, which covers construction materials, maintenance regimes and operational emissions across England’s motorways and major A-roads. Any adverse ruling or settlement could reshape how UK infrastructure clients scope, procure and manage consultancy input on carbon baselining, lifecycle assessments and compliance with government net zero targets.

Regulation giving Parliament, rather than the courts, final authority to approve large low‑carbon energy schemes has been unveiled by chancellor Rachel Reeves, sharply narrowing the grounds for judicial review. The change is expected to accelerate nationally significant infrastructure projects such as offshore wind farms, grid reinforcement corridors and carbon capture clusters, where planning and consent can currently add years to programme schedules. Developers and designers will need to front‑load environmental impact assessments, land rights strategies and stakeholder engagement, as legal challenge windows and procedural arguments are curtailed.

Canada’s Supreme Court will hear British Columbia’s appeal of the Gitxaala v. British Columbia (Chief Gold Commissioner) ruling, which found the province’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA) incorporates UNDRIP and creates immediate, legally enforceable obligations. The case follows a 2023 BC Supreme Court decision that the province’s automatic online mineral claim staking system breached the constitutional duty to consult Indigenous nations. Mining executives say the evolving interpretation of DRIPA is injecting significant uncertainty into BC mineral tenure and project approval processes, with no hearing date yet set.