HS2 has lost its Court of Appeal challenge over planning changes linked to the Bromford Tunnel extension at Water Orton, after North Warwickshire Borough Council overturned an earlier High Court ruling by Justice Dove. The dispute centres on modifications to the HS2 alignment and associated works in North Warwickshire, which required revised planning controls and local consent mechanisms. The judgment reinforces local planning authorities’ leverage over design changes to major linear infrastructure, with potential implications for programme risk, land acquisition strategy and construction phasing on remaining HS2 works.

EY’s Net Zero Centre report “Risk and resilience: Rethinking Australia’s critical materials advantage in a disorderly world” urges Australia to move beyond being a raw ore exporter and secure a larger share of midstream processing for lithium, rare earths and other critical materials. The report flags geopolitical tensions and highly concentrated processing capacity – particularly in China – as key supply risks, and calls for targeted policy, finance and permitting reforms. For miners and processors, it signals stronger scrutiny of offtake security, downstream integration and project resilience in investment decisions.

Lawyers Geradin Partners and Hausfeld have filed a collective action at the UK Competition Appeal Tribunal against major housebuilders on behalf of campaigner Mark McLaren and around 700,000 homebuyers who purchased since October 2015. The claim alleges coordinated behaviour in the new-build housing market, potentially affecting pricing and contract terms for large volumes of post-2015 stock. Developers, consultants and lenders involved in residential schemes may face closer scrutiny of sales practices, reservation agreements and information disclosure on build quality and defects.