Report by Local Democracy Reporter – Jon Cooper
Developers are launching a second consultation into their latest plans for the controversial Peak Cluster underground carbon-capture pipeline scheme that aims to run through Derbyshire.
Peak Cluster, which is made up of cement and lime producers in Derbyshire and Staffordshire, aims to remove carbon dioxide from four cement and lime producers across sites in Buxton and the Hope Valley, in Derbyshire, and near Cauldon, in Staffordshire, with an underground pipeline.
The latest consultation runs from November 12 until December 18 inviting comments on affected areas and proposed Above Ground Installations (AGIs), Block Valve Stations (BVSs), and temporary areas required for access and construction.
Peak Cluster CEO David Parkin said: “The first phase of consultation provided valuable feedback that helped us better understand local priorities.
“Combined with the findings of technical studies, engineering assessments and environmental surveys, this feedback has enabled us to refine the project design.
“As the plans for the project have evolved, we would now like to hear further feedback on specific elements, including the proposed route of the buried pipeline and the location of other temporary and permanent infrastructure, to help shape the next iteration of our designs.”
The scheme aims to take CO2 from the connecting cement and lime plants and quarries to a proposed Morecambe Net Zero carbon storage site beneath the Irish Sea after passing through Derbyshire, Staffordshire, Cheshire, and Merseyside to secure the industry and reduce carbon emissions.
Proposed work plants include: Buxton Lime’s Tunstead lime plant, at Tunstead Quarry, off Waterswallows Rd, 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 between Cauldon and Waterhouses villages in Staffordshire.
Following opposition from Derbyshire County Council and campaigners and an initial consultation with over 5,500 responses, Peak Cluster announced changes to the route affecting the southeast of the Dove Holes Quarry to Tunstead’s proposed AGIs as well as to four other areas of the overall proposed route.
Peak Cluster’s changed plans have removed the proposed pipeline route section from Peak Forest to the north of Dove Holes after establishing a more direct route to connect Breedon’s Hope cement plant and Tarmac Tunstead Cement Works to the south.
This has reduced the overall length of the pipeline, according to Peak Cluster, so it avoids existing infrastructure and addresses terrain challenges near Dove Holes and Chapel-en-le-Frith.
Peak Cluster has also removed the proposed feeder AGI from plans due to terrain challenges and a review of the system design which has allowed them to move the pipeline connection point back to the planned Tunstead.
This has meant that Peak Cluster has also removed the search area for the proposed AGI between Chapel-en-le-Frith and Dove Holes.
The proposed pipeline route along Eccles Road between Whaley Bridge and Chapel-en-le-Frith to the north east has also been moved to reflect the land’s use.
Other areas undergoing proposed changes outside of Derbyshire include southwest of Gawsworth, near Macclesfield, and Moss Houses and southeast of Holmes Chapel, in Cheshire, south of Abbey Green, near Leek, and north of Hargrave and Cotton Abbotts, also in Cheshire.
In most locations, the project has reduced the corridor it previously consulted on from 300 metres to approximately 100 metres, according to Peak Cluster.
The project’s latest consultation includes The Wirral which was originally to have been consulted in January, 2027.
Peak Cluster says the phase 1 consultation helped its project team to identify an alternative technical solution for transporting CO2 through the network in The Wirral removing the need for compression infrastructure originally proposed as part of the Coastal AGI.
It added that Peak Cluster’s focus for the upcoming consultations is on refining locations for the pipeline and infrastructure.
Further consultation on more detailed aspects will follow in summer 2027 with more detail on the design, construction and operation.
Peak Cluster stated the project aims to secure the future of Britain’s cement and lime industries while safeguarding and creating jobs and ensuring a reliable, ‘homemade’ supply of essential materials while greatly reducing harmful carbon emissions.
However, Derbyshire County Council is opposed to the plans, which will run through the Peak District, due to safety concerns for residents, while it is continuing to support quarries and the cement industry to secure Government funding to reduce emissions at source.
The Action Against Carbon Capture Storage campaign group has concerns about disruption and the feared impact on farmland, biodiversity, countryside and The Wirral coastline.
Peak Cluster aims to submit a Development Consent Order application in 2027 for Government approval.
The Labour Government has agreed to award £28.6m towards the estimated £59.6m project to support clean energy and jobs with the remaining funding to come from private firms, according to the Planning Inspectorate.
Those interested in the consultation and registering to attend events or webinars can visit www.peakcluster-consultation.co.uk.
St Anne’s Community Centre, in Buxton, is hosting an event on November 26 and people can | register here and a Derbyshire public webinar is to be held at 6:30pm, on December 1, and people can | register here
Those wishing to find out more can visit https://peakcluster.co.uk/ and can see an Interactive Map with the proposed changes at https://peakcluster-consultation.co.uk/index.php?contentid=6 with details.
