Lazio TAR blocks expansion of Rome judicial city in Monte Mario

The Lazio Regional Administrative Court (TAR) has annulled a regional decree that would have allowed the expansion of the judicial city in Rome's Piazzale Clodio to encroach upon the Monte Mario Nature Reserve. The ruling, issued in connection with a project involving the Lazio Region, Rome Capitale, and the Ministries of Justice and Infrastructure, follows an appeal by local citizen committees.

The court found that the environmental approval provided by RomaNatura, the entity responsible for protecting the reserve, was insufficient. Specifically, the judges ruled that the agency failed to adequately demonstrate how proposed mitigation measures, such as reforestation and green infrastructure, would sufficiently offset the environmental impact of the new judicial building.

While the TAR acknowledged the necessity and urgency of the expansion due to the deteriorating condition of existing judicial buildings, it maintained that legal requirements for justice do not exempt projects from rigorous environmental impact assessments.