A climate activist has lost his latest legal bid to block three major A47 improvement projects, with judges saying his case has 'no logical basis' - but is threatening yet another court challenge.
Dr Andrew Boswell had his case against the safety schemes dismissed by the Court of Appeal but says he may now apply to the Supreme Court.
His long-running, crowd-funded legal actions have already delayed the schemes and added tens of millions of pounds to their cost.
The former Green city and county councillor claims that the cumulative carbon impact of the projects - to dual two sections and upgrade Thickthorn roundabout - has not been properly considered.
Dr Boswell, who has unsuccessfully stood for parliament three times, lost at the High Court in May 2023, but took the case to the Court of Appeal and a hearing was held in January.
Today, judges issued their ruling, saying his argument had “an air of complete unreality”, with “no logical basis”.
The A47 projects involve the dualling of just over 1.6 miles of the road between Blofield and North Burlingham - considered a crash blackspot by police - along with five-and-a-half miles between Easton and North Tuddenham.
Plans for Thickthorn include a new slip road off the A11 northbound, which will take motorists beneath both roads before re-joining traffic on the A47 heading towards Great Yarmouth - eliminating the need to use the roundabout.
Preliminary work has already started on the schemes, which are intended to reduce congestion, improve safety and create an economic boost for the region.
During the Court of Appeal hearing in January, Dr Boswell's lawyers said the government had made a "fatal step" in failing to compare the cumulative assessment with the national carbon budgets as a factor in their decision to approve the schemes.
However, James Strachan, KC, representing the government, said their decision had been based on an assessment of the impact of all projects on a national, not local, scale and that it would have been "irrational" to have done anything else.
After losing his case at the Court of Appeal, Dr Boswell has said he is considering taking the matter to the Supreme Court.
The case has caused long delays to the projects and National Highways said this had hiked the cost of the works by tens of millions of pounds, due to construction cost inflation and legal fees.
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