A consultation on the next phase of a major pipeline set to cut through Cheshire's landscape has been launched.

Peak Cluster is a proposed carbon capture and storage scheme which aims to transport carbon dioxide captured from four cement and lime producers in Derbyshire and Staffordshire.

The planned underground pipeline would run for around 120 to 125 miles through Derbyshire, Staffordshire, Cheshire and Wirral before carrying the captured carbon dioxide offshore for permanent storage beneath the Irish Sea.

Starting today (12 November), the consultation seeks feedback on refinements to the project's proposed boundary, the area within which Peak Cluster proposes to build pipeline infrastructure across Cheshire.

In September, newly updated maps revealed boundary adjustments across three key parts of Cheshire - including north of Hargrave and Cotton Abbotts near Chester, southwest of Gawsworth, and southeast of Holmes Chapel.

Project organisers had adjusted about 15 percent of the overall pipeline route and narrowed the proposed construction corridor from 300 meters down to 100 meters wide in most areas.

This adjustment followed technical surveys and feedback from earlier consultations to refine the pipeline's trajectory.

Further updates to the project also included removing the need for compression facilities in the Wirral, reducing the size of proposed vent stacks from a proposed 50m to a maximum height of 10m, and facilities only being lit during periodic maintenance.

Having launched today, the consultation will focus on pipeline infrastructure and access layouts across Cheshire, Derbyshire, and Staffordshire, followed by a Wirral-specific review in January.

The consultation will also invite feedback on the proposed locations of above ground installations (AGIs), block valve stations (BVSs), and temporary areas required for access and construction in most locations.

A further round of consultation on more detailed aspects of the project will follow in summer 2027.

David Parkin, CEO of Peak Cluster Ltd, said: "Earlier this year, we received more than 5,500 pieces of feedback during our first phase of consultation.

"Alongside the results of our ongoing studies and assessments, this feedback enabled us to make changes to around 15% of the proposed pipeline route, reduce the pipeline corridor to 100 metres in most areas, and refine the design and locations of infrastructure along the route.

"These changes have, in many cases, reduced the potential impact of the project on local communities.

"We are holding this additional consultation to hear from those who know their area best, helping us further develop our plans for Peak Cluster, ahead of the next major phase of consultation on the wider project design next summer."

Consultation events and webinars will be held during the consultation period, enabling people to find out more about the latest project proposals and ask questions of the project team.

The events will take place in locations close to proposed changes to the project boundary:

• Gawsworth Scout Hut, 20 November | register here
• Huxley Village Hall, 24 November | register here
• St Anne's Community Centre, Buxton 26 November | register here
• Hulme Hall, Port Sunlight, Wirral, 3 December | register here
• Holmes Chapel Community Centre, 5 December | register here
• Leek Town Football Club, 7 December | register here

A Cheshire public webinar will also take place on 30 November at 6:30pm. Places can be booked here.

Peak Cluster will share further updates as part of the phase two consultation in summer 2027.

Because the project is classified as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP), it bypasses standard local planning rules.

Cheshire West and Chester Council does not have the power to approve or reject the scheme directly; instead, the final decision rests with the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero via a Development Consent Order.

However, these latest modifications follow considerable local political pushback.

In April, Cheshire West and Chester Council called an extraordinary meeting and voted near-unanimously to pass a cross-party motion formally opposing the pipeline.

In a letter sent to the Secretary of State, council leader Cllr Louise Gittins clarified the council's stance was "not a rejection of climate action".

Cross-party representatives also raised ongoing concerns regarding the safety implications of transporting high-pressure CO₂ near residential areas, the lack of an independent safety framework, and the substantial disruption to Cheshire's green spaces and agricultural land.