Cheshire East latest council to oppose 121-mile £5bn Peak Cluster pipeline plans
Cheshire East Council has unanimously voted to formally oppose plans for a £5 billion carbon dioxide pipeline running through parts of the borough.
By Cheshire Live
Cheshire East Council has unanimously voted to formally oppose plans for a £5 billion carbon dioxide pipeline running through parts of the borough.
All 66 councillors present at a full council meeting backed the motion, which calls for the government not to approve the Peak Cluster project until concerns raised by the council have been resolved.
The proposed 121-mile pipeline would transport carbon dioxide captured at cement and lime plants in Derbyshire and Staffordshire to storage beneath the Irish Sea.
Peak Cluster’s plans would pass through four local authority areas, including Cheshire East. Derbyshire County Council, Wirral Council and Cheshire West and Chester Council have already formally objected to the scheme.
The motion was originally proposed by Conservative councillors Lesley Smetham and Hayley Whitaker. An updated version was also supported by independent councillor Michael Gorman and Labour councillor Dawn Clark.
It calls on Cheshire East Council to set out its concerns to Peak Cluster, the Planning Inspectorate and relevant regulatory bodies. The council will also write to the government requesting that approval is withheld until the issues identified have been satisfactorily addressed.
Cheshire East Council said its concerns included public safety and potential environmental impacts. It has also called for Peak Cluster to reassess the proposed route and its possible effects before the scheme is considered further.
The council said it remains a host authority and statutory consultee for the project, rather than the body responsible for making the final decision.
Following the publication of further consultation information by Peak Cluster, expected in November, the council plans to continue assessing the proposals and prepare reports for its cabinet.