THE High Court has refused a claim from a charity over the potential Oxford-Cambridge expressway.

The Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust complained the Government has failed to commission a study into the process of selecting a Growth Corridor, between Oxford and Cambridge.

The new road is expected to be built between the cities by 2030.

But the charity said it hoped to continue its fight against the road and future growth.

Matthew Stanton, the charity's head of planning, policy and advocacy, said: "We do not regard this as the end of the legal process, and we will apply for the court to revisit this decision at an oral hearing. We are resolute in our determination to protect wildlife from the impact of the Oxford-Cambridge expressway.

"A Strategic Environmental Assessment is required under European law for schemes that impact on the environment such as this.

"This means the true environmental impact has not been properly considered, and the public has been denied the opportunity to fully scrutinise the implications of the scheme.

"The government has committed to leave the environment in a better state than they found it, but it is unclear how the expressway and its potential impact on protected habitats is compatible with this ambition."

Tessa Gregory, partner at Leigh Day, who represented the trust, said: ‘We are disappointed that the paper application for permission for judicial review was not granted, but that is not the end of the process.

"We will now renew the application for permission to be heard at an oral hearing, where the grounds can be argued in front of a judge and we hope the decision will be overturned."

Earlier this month, transport minister Jesse Norman said the Government has still selected no definite routes for the road, ahead of a consultation this year.