Pipeline's route revised after plan sparked anger

The route has been revised of a proposed gas pipeline that would see compressed carbon dioxide stored under the sea in a project dubbed dangerous and potentially devastating to the countryside.

Peak Cluster, a joint initiative between four cement firms, said the changes followed consultation and technical assessments.

Two arms would begin near Hope, Derbyshire and Cauldon, Staffordshire, joining together near Marton in Cheshire before heading to Hoylake on the Wirral.

The £5bn government-backed scheme features a buried pipeline as well as above-ground installations, but people living along its route are unhappy, and one councillor has described it as a "dangerous, dangerous thing".

As well as altering its course in some areas, the proposals have reduced the width of the route earmarked of the pipeline from 300m (328 yards) to approximately 100m (109 yards).

The new plans will be the subject of consultations in Staffordshire, Derbyshire and Cheshire in November, with the proposals for the Wirral due to be the focus in January.

Both consultations will last six weeks, with further details due to be shared next month.

"Since we began developing Peak Cluster, we have continually reviewed and refined the project's design as we have learned more about the local area and listened to feedback from communities, landowners and other stakeholders," said David Parkin, CEO of Peak Cluster Ltd.

"The updated project boundary we announced this week demonstrates how we've listened and shows our commitment to continue working with local communities and stakeholders."

Peak Cluster said information about above-ground installations and other infrastructure would be shared during the forthcoming consultation.

Landowners who would be directly affected should have been contacted by post, the organisation added.

There had been more than 5,500 responses to the first phase of consultation on the initial project design.

While there has been vocal opposition to it from people in Cheshire, Derbyshire and the Wirral, there was less awareness of it in the Staffordshire Moorlands, according to district councillor Linda Malyon.

"It's a very, very dangerous thing and I still can't understand why they need something like this," she said. "It's been transported for years without this."

It would "devastate" the countryside, she added, and she also raised concerns about the impact on rural communities being cut off when works began.

Peak Cluster said the project would be designed, constructed, operated and maintained to meet pipeline safety regulations.

Meanwhile councillor Mark Johnson, who represents Leek North, said the planned pipeline had the potential to retain jobs in the district whilst also decarbonising industry in the area.

"There are other forms of cement available which don't emit so much carbon in the production process but it seems quite hard to get an industry to adopt these in the timescales that are needed to meet our climate targets," he said.

"There obviously certainly are some risks and I think that those definitely have to be measured properly."

Councillor Darren Price, who represents Leek East, said while he did not yet have a fully-formed opinion on the scheme, the planning process would consider safety and other issues.

"I can't believe that there is anybody out there who wants to put something in the ground that is dangerous or detrimental to communities," he said.

"Things like biodiversity, heritage, landscape, flood risk management, transport, highways and rights of way, public health and amenity are all going to be covered in our local impact report."

That report would be carried out by officers at the council and consultants with relevant expertise, he added.

Wirral Council, Derbyshire County Council and Cheshire West and Chester Council have each voted to oppose the pipeline scheme, while Cheshire East Council and Staffordshire Moorlands District Council have not yet agreed an official stance.

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