Cheshire East Council has voted unanimously to oppose the proposed £5 billion ($6.63 billion) Peak Cluster carbon dioxide pipeline, becoming the fourth local authority to formally object to the scheme. All 66 councillors present at a meeting at Tatton Park backed an amended motion calling on the UK government to withhold approval until council and resident concerns are fully resolved.
The motion instructs the council to submit formal objections to both the project's developer and the Planning Inspectorate, and invites Peak Cluster representatives to address councillors directly. The vote followed demonstrations outside the venue by residents and public speakers, who raised concerns over safety, local farming, rural economies, and the project's overall cost.
The Peak Cluster initiative is designed to transport carbon dioxide captured from cement and lime facilities across Derbyshire and Staffordshire through underground pipelines to permanent storage sites beneath the Irish Sea. Supporters argue the project is critical for decarbonizing heavy industry and protecting manufacturing jobs, but local opposition has grown rapidly.
Conservative Councillor Lesley Smetham, who brought the motion alongside Councillor Hayley Whitaker, said that tackling climate change is essential but that harm should not be done in the process, criticizing the pipeline as costly. The council's stance adds to mounting objections centered on safety, environmental damage, and community disruption.
For operators and developers of carbon capture and storage schemes, the vote underscores the growing regulatory and community hurdles such infrastructure faces in the UK, with local authority objections now formally on record ahead of any planning decision.
Source: Pipeline Journal
