header-logo header-logo

23 June 2023 / David Walbank KC
Issue: 8030 / Categories: Features , Criminal , Property , Judicial review
printer mail-detail

Crime brief: 23 June 2023

127497
Thus far, arguably the most significant output of the HS2 project has been a stream of litigation: David Walbank KC charts the path to judicial review
  • HS2 protesters tunnelling under Euston Square Gardens.
  • Offence of aggravated trespass.
  • Scope of the ‘lawful activity’ being obstructed or disrupted.

The economic benefits of the high-speed railway HS2 may sometimes seem illusory. Nebulous phrases like ‘connectivity’, ‘capacity’ and, dare I say it, ‘levelling up’ are bandied about, while a hard-headed costs/benefits analysis is harder to come by and grows ever more elusive as project costs continue to spiral. Only history will judge whether this state-of-the-art high-speed rail link, supposedly bringing London and the North of England closer together, is ultimately seen as a marvel of modern engineering or the biggest white elephant ever to burn through our increasingly straitened public finances. However, one identifiable sub-class of our fellow citizens that it has undoubtedly benefited is the criminal lawyer. Rarely has any major construction project given rise to such

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

WSP Solicitors—David Ashcroft & Jessica O’Shea

WSP Solicitors—David Ashcroft & Jessica O’Shea

Commercial property and child law teams expand with senior hires

Duxton Hill Chambers—Lucas Bastin KC & Joshua Hiew

Duxton Hill Chambers—Lucas Bastin KC & Joshua Hiew

Set expands London and Singapore offering with senior international disputes hires

Gilson Gray—Gregor Duthie & Stephen Forsyth

Gilson Gray—Gregor Duthie & Stephen Forsyth

Firm strengthens real estate and litigation teams with partner promotions

NEWS
Behind the profession’s polished exterior, lawyers are ‘internally drained rather than physically tired’, according to a stark assessment of burnout in legal practice
Five years after the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 came into force, concerns remain that the family courts continue to minimise allegations of abuse in child contact disputes
Uber has built a formidable strategy for insulating itself from liability for drivers’ conduct, but the legal terrain differs sharply between the US and England and Wales
The Civil Justice Council’s review of Part III of the Solicitors Act 1974 could mark the end of what one commentator calls an ‘outdated’ and overly technical regime governing solicitor-client fee disputes
The House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Act 2026 marks a constitutional watershed by severing the centuries-old link between hereditary titles and automatic membership of the upper chamber
back-to-top-scroll