National Highways and WSP Face High Court Dispute Over Landmark Net Zero Strategy

National Highways has initiated High Court proceedings against engineering consultancy WSP in relation to work carried out on the organisation’s high-profile net zero programme.

The breach of contract claim, filed within the Business and Property Courts Chancery Division, relates to WSP’s role as lead advisor on National Highways’ long-term decarbonisation strategy — one of the most significant carbon reduction programmes developed within the UK roads sector.

Limited information has so far been made public regarding the nature of the dispute. National Highways has declined to comment further, citing ongoing legal proceedings, while WSP has not yet issued a public response.

The case centres around National Highways’ “Net Zero Highways: our 2030 / 2040 / 2050” strategy, launched in 2021 as part of wider government plans to support transport decarbonisation and national net zero commitments.

At the time of launch, the programme was positioned as a major framework for reducing emissions associated with England’s strategic road network and supporting the Department for Transport’s wider decarbonisation objectives.

WSP acted as lead advisor during development of the strategy and worked alongside other framework partners including KPMG, Mott MacDonald, and Ramboll.

The roadmap established three major long-term targets for National Highways.

The first focused on eliminating emissions from the organisation’s own operations by 2030, including energy use across the road network, offices, and operational vehicle fleets.

The second target aimed to reduce maintenance and construction-related emissions to net zero by 2040, covering materials such as asphalt, steel, and concrete alongside emissions linked to construction activity and logistics operations.

The third objective addressed emissions generated by road users travelling across the strategic road network, with National Highways supporting wider adoption of low-emission vehicles and charging infrastructure in line with the UK’s broader transport decarbonisation agenda.

The strategy was aligned with the Paris Agreement and science-based carbon reduction targets and was viewed as one of the largest environmental transition programmes undertaken within the UK highways sector.

The emergence of legal proceedings highlights the increasing commercial, technical, and contractual complexity surrounding large-scale sustainability and infrastructure decarbonisation programmes.

As infrastructure organisations continue integrating net zero commitments into long-term investment and operational strategies, advisory roles connected to carbon reduction planning, delivery frameworks, and implementation programmes are becoming increasingly significant.

The case is also likely to attract attention across the infrastructure consultancy market given the prominence of both organisations within the UK transport sector.

National Highways has continued to expand its environmental and sustainability agenda in recent years, with investment programmes covering carbon reduction, biodiversity, water management, environmental resilience, and low-carbon infrastructure delivery.

For the wider industry, the proceedings reflect how environmental strategies are increasingly moving beyond policy commitments into areas of governance, accountability, delivery assurance, and contractual responsibility.