Consultation so far
Phase 1 consultation
The initial phase of consultation began on Monday 12th January and closed on Friday 27th February 2026.
During this period, we shared information about our proposals, held a series of in-person and online events, and invited people to share local insights and their views about the project.
This first consultation phase was an important opportunity for people across the breadth of the project to find out more information and share feedback to help us shape our early proposals.
Additional engagement phase
Our additional engagement phase ran from Tuesday 31st March until Friday 8th May 2026.
Following high public interest in our initial phase 1 consultation, we undertook additional engagement with Wirral communities, to support understanding about the proposals for the project in the area and to gain as much information as possible.
This included hosting a series of webinars and in-person sessions at the Floral Pavilion, producing factsheets about the pipeline and Coastal Above Ground Installation, and responding to common questions raised during our phase 1 consultation.
The feedback received will be reviewed alongside that which we have received as part of our phase 1 consultation, and will inform the next iteration of our project design and our consultation on this, which will be held later in the year.
Our approach to consultation
We understand how important the cement and lime industry is to the region, and also how much the local environment means to the communities living in and around it.
Gaining input from a wide range of stakeholders is critically important and will help us develop a project that is able to anticipate, understand and address potential local impacts.
We want to continue to work closely with communities and organisations to develop an approach that minimises disruption and impact, and ensures work is delivered safely and efficiently
We will listen closely to those who are interested or may be affected by Peak Cluster to hear their thoughts, views and suggestions and let you know how your feedback has shaped our thinking.
Securing consent to deliver Peak Cluster
Peak Cluster’s onshore pipeline is classified as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP). An NSIP is regarded by the UK Government to be of such high importance that consent to construct and operate it must be granted by the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero.
Peak Cluster Ltd will therefore be required to submit a type of planning application called a Development Consent Order (or DCO) to the government’s Planning Inspectorate. The Planning Inspectorate will examine the application and make a recommendation to the Secretary of State, who will make the final decision on whether the project can go ahead. This consenting process comes under the Planning Act 2008.
Following Royal Assent of the Planning and Infrastructure Act in December 2025, the planning process for NSIPs is changing, and we are expecting to receive new government guidance on the implications of these changes this summer.
Until then, we are following current legislation, government guidance, and best practice in our approach to consultation and engagement.
A key requirement throughout the application process is to consult and engage with national and local stakeholders, communities and landowners, and we take this obligation very seriously. Feedback we receive throughout each phase of consultation and engagement will enable us to refine our proposals ahead of submitting our application to the Planning Inspectorate.
What happens next
We’d like to thank everyone who has taken the time to learn about the project, participate in consultation and engagement events, and share feedback and local insights with us via our contact channels.
We are currently reviewing the feedback received and are continuing to undertake important environment and engineering assessments across the route.
Having taken onboard this initial information and stakeholder feedback, we will develop a further iteration of the design for the project with greater detail on our proposed pipeline route, key infrastructure along the route and the capture facilities at each of the cement and lime operator sites. You will then have another opportunity to consider and provide feedback on these updated proposals as part of our phase 2 consultation, which we expect to launch later this year.
After this, we will set out a summary of the responses that we received in a Consultation Report, detailing how we considered all feedback and how it has shaped and influenced the proposals. Responses submitted during this initial round of consultation and our upcoming phase 2 consultation will be addressed by theme within the Consultation Report. This report will form part of our DCO application for development consent and will be published on our website following submission of our application to the Planning Inspectorate.
Our indicative timeline for the project is below.
Overview of the DCO process
