Cheshire West and Chester Councillors plan pipeline debate over residents’ Peak Cluster concerns

A number of councillors have called for an extraordinary meeting of Cheshire West and Chester Council to discuss the impact of Peak Cluster on the borough, following residents outcry over the proposals to build 200km of new onshore pipeline to transport high-pressure CO2.

Proposed by Councillor Sion Roberts (Willaston and Thornton, Con) and Seconded by Councillor Simon Eardley (Saughall and Mollington, Con), the debate calls to formally oppose the routing of the Peak Cluster pipeline through Cheshire West and Chester and to submit objections to relevant planning and regulatory bodies where safety, environmental or community impacts are substantiated.

Cllr Roberts, recently elected to represent Willaston and Thornton ward, shares residents views that “as proposed (it) would have a huge and detrimental impact on our environment and our residents across the Borough if it were to go ahead in its current form. In my ward of Willaston and Thornton, we are particularly affected by the proposals which would see no measurable benefit for our infrastructure and our local needs. Residents deserve accurate information, genuine consultation and assurance that safety, environmental impacts and long-term risks are being independently and rigorously affected, and I call the whole Cheshire West and Chester Council to support us in seeking these assurances from the current plans. This is why our motion also advocates for a binding, clear and long-term ‘Community Benefit Fund’ that should ensure affected areas receive adequate mitigation against the negative effects of infrastructure in our their localities.”

Cllr Eardley, Cheshire West and Chester Conservative Group Deputy Leader and Shadow Cabinet Member for Environment, Highways, Transport, Climate & Nature Emergency and Neighbourhood Pride, considers that “Climate action is essential, but must be fair, transparent and should not impose disproportionate harm on communities that do not appear to benefit directly from the scheme. We are requesting a fully independent environment and safety impact assessment, including meaningful and accessible public consultation across affected Cheshire West and Chester’s communities.”

Whilst advocating for alternative climate strategies focused on renewable energy, nature recovery and other technologies to deliver decarbonisation at scale, he nonetheless is calling for the Council to “formally oppose the routing of the Peak Cluster Pipeline through Cheshire West and Chester, to submit objections to relevant planning and regulatory bodies, calling on the UK Government to recognise the unnecessary environmental and harm caused by routing pipelines through approximately 200km of countryside and sensitive ecological environments, and to demand legally binding emergency-response protocols, regulatory frameworks and long-term monitoring should the project proceed against local observation.”

The Extraordinary General Meeting request submitted by the Conservative Group was validated on 30 March 2026 and is awaiting on a response from the Chairman of Cheshire West and Chester Council. The date for the meeting will be set in due course.

The councillors who added their name to the request for an EGM are: 

Cllr Sion Roberts (Willaston & Thornton), Cllr Simon Eardley (Saughall & Mollington), Cllr Margaret Parker (Gowy Rural), Cllr Mike Jones (Tattenhall), Cllr Charles Hardy (Tarporley), Cllr Lynn Gibbon (Marbury), Cllr Mark Stocks (Shakerley), Cllr Adrian Waddelove (Farndon), Cllr Martin Loftus (Hartford & Greenbank), Cllr Dan Marr (Davenham, Moulton and Kingsmead).