Response to Peak Cluster Consultation

At a meeting of Holmes Chapel Parish Council on 19^th February 2026, it was RESOLVED (C25/26/119) to respond to the Peak Cluster Consultation expressing concerns and seeking reassurances primarily around safety measures.  

Our principal concern relates to the safety of the installation and the potential for failure resulting in the release of CO₂ into the atmosphere in the vicinity of Holmes Chapel and neighbouring Cranage.

1.     What leak detection measures will be used locally?

2.     What are the leak detection response times?

3.     Will there be response actions provided to the emergency services and to the public? In relation to the latter the Parish Council has a Resilience Plan and would expect to have information to be included in that plan.

4.     Can we be assured that the locations of the Block Valve Stations (or Emergency Shutdown Valves) will be sufficiently close together in the vicinity of Holmes Chapel to ensure that the level of potential gas escape is at an acceptable level?

A further question raised in connection with the planning of the pipeline is whether Geo-Hazard Modelling is being used in assessing the potential route.

Related to the route in the vicinity of Holmes Chapel is whether it should be routed to the south of Holmes Chapel. West of Holmes Chapel the route is shown as being well to the south of the A54 towards Middlewich. It would seem logical for the pipeline to pass to the south of Holmes Chapel as this aligns better with the onward direction. This would assist in the dispersal of any leakage away from the built-up area as the prevailing winds are generally from the West and North West.

It is also worth noting that the search area AG1 already includes above ground installations related to fuel gas transmission.

In addition, the routing of construction traffic should avoid the village and adequate project management controls should be in place to minimise any disruption during any construction phase.