Boris Johnson’s Infrastructure Revolution Faces Environmental Lawsuit

  • Public interest group says new rules rushed in amid pandemic
  • U.K. government says planning overhaul urgently needed
Photographer: Simon Dawson/Bloomberg
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U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s proposal to overhaul the country’s planning system as a way to boost growth during the pandemic faces a challenge from activists who say the regulations break environmental and equality laws.

A public interest group said at a court hearing Wednesday that the program -- part of Johnson’s plan for an “infrastructure revolution” -- should be subject to a full environmental review. The regulations would make it easier for unused structures to be demolished and replaced with apartment buildings.