Leaving the United Nations' Aarhus Convention could facilitate the construction of homes, roads, reservoirs, railways, and companies, according to Tom Willerton-Gartside, head of press at Looking for Growth. The convention, signed in 1998 and incorporated into UK law, is described as incentivising delays in projects.
The convention's rules cap legal liability for individuals at £5,000 and for organisations at £10,000 when they challenge projects. This arrangement often results in taxpayers funding legal costs when these challenges are unsuccessful.
Willerton-Gartside argues that this system has made it cheaper for groups to pursue judicial reviews of infrastructure projects, even without strong grounds, leading to potential developments being delayed for years.