Developers behind the Peak Cluster carbon capture pipeline scheme have announced a project boundary update featuring alterations to the proposed route and corridor across Derbyshire, Staffordshire, and Cheshire. The scheme aims to transport carbon dioxide captured from four cement and lime producers via an underground pipeline.
Peak Cluster Redraws Carbon Dioxide Pipeline Route Across Three Counties
The project is overseen by Peak Cluster, which comprises cement and lime producers in Derbyshire and Staffordshire. Participating facilities include Buxton Lime’s Tunstead lime plant at Tunstead Quarry off Waterswallows Road in Buxton, Breedon’s Hope cement plant at Pindale Road in the Hope Valley, Tarmac’s Tunstead cement plant at Waterswallows Road (Tunstead House) in Buxton, and Holcim’s Cauldon plant situated between the villages of Cauldon and Waterhouses in Staffordshire. The captured carbon is intended to be transported across the region before being carried offshore for permanent storage.
Route Adjustments and Corridor Reductions
Following an initial consultation that attracted more than 5,500 responses and opposition from local organizations and councils, Peak Cluster has amended roughly 15 per cent of the proposed pipeline route. In most locations, the project has reduced its consulted construction corridor from 300 metres down to approximately 100 metres, removing many previously affected properties from potential construction zones.
Engineering assessments and feedback led to several specific boundary adjustments. In Derbyshire, plans now remove the proposed pipeline route section from Peak Forest to the north of Dove Holes after establishing a more direct route connecting Breedon’s Hope cement plant and Tarmac’s Tunstead cement works to the south. This change also allowed the removal of the search area for a proposed Above Ground Installation between Chapel-en-le-Frith and Dove Holes, while the route along Eccles Road between Whaley Bridge and Chapel-en-le-Frith was shifted to reflect land use.
Additional boundary changes were identified across Cheshire and other areas, including:
- Southwest of Gawsworth, near Macclesfield, and Moss Houses
- Southeast of Holmes Chapel
- Southeast of the Dove Holes Quarry to Tunstead Above Ground Installation
- South of Abbey Green, near Leek
- North of Hargrave and Cotton Abbotts
David Parkin, CEO of Peak Cluster Ltd, stated that the updated project boundary demonstrates engagement and listening. It shows our commitment to continue working with local communities and stakeholders to develop a project that takes into account groups’ priorities as far as possible, minimising local impact,
Parkin said, adding that the team looks forward to further refining proposals through public consultation.
Regulatory Status and Local Opposition
Because the initiative is classified as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project, it bypasses standard local planning rules, meaning final approval rests with the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero via a Development Consent Order rather than local authorities.
The adjustments follow significant political and community pushback. In April, Cheshire West and Chester Council held an extraordinary meeting and voted near-unanimously to pass a cross-party motion formally opposing the pipeline. Council leader Cllr Louise Gittins stated in a letter to the Secretary of State that the opposition was not a rejection of climate action, but that climate solutions must achieve community buy-in and avoid disproportionate harm to communities that do not directly benefit. Representatives raised concerns over the safety of transporting high-pressure carbon dioxide near residential areas, a lack of an independent safety framework, and disruption to green spaces and agricultural land.
Further opposition came from Chester Zoo, where chief executive Jamie Christon described the impact on regional habitats as unacceptable. Christon stated that the route could jeopardize environmentally sensitive and irreplaceable wetland habitats that store carbon and support wildlife. Additionally, Wirral Council rejected requests for land access surveys for the pipeline during a unanimous meeting.
Upcoming Consultation Timeline
A formal consultation focusing on pipeline infrastructure and access layouts across Cheshire, Derbyshire, and Staffordshire will launch in November. A separate consultation regarding changes affecting the Wirral—where a large compression facility and an above-field installation between Meols and Moreton are marked for construction—is scheduled to begin in January.
