Construction can now go ahead on a Balfour Beatty road scheme worth at least £228m near Manchester after objectors withdrew their legal challenge.

Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) had sought a judicial review into the A57 Link Roads project, which will create two roads near the village of Mottram, Greater Manchester, after it was approved in November 2022, says Construction News.

The campaign group argued the Balfour Beatty scheme would unlawfully increase carbon emissions and harm the greenbelt.

Last November, the High Court ruled against the CPRE’s claim the project would harm the greenbelt.

In March, the High Court decided not to hear part of the claim relating to the impact of carbon emissions created by the proposed roads, according to the CPRE.

The case is now closed after CPRE’s board of trustees voted against progressing the case to the Court of Appeal.

National Highways senior project manager Andrew Dawson said: “We can now begin construction on this important scheme which will reduce congestion and improve travel times between Manchester and Sheffield.

“It will also reduce pollution for the communities of Mottram in Longdendale, and support longer term economic regional growth.”