‘We survived HS2 – now a huge pipeline backed by Rachel Reeves could split our farm in two’
.jpeg?trim=167,365,655,365&width=1200&height=800&crop=1200:800&w=780&resize=780,470&ssl=1 "‘We survived HS2 – now a huge pipeline backed by Rachel Reeves could split our farm in two’")
A dairy farmer whose farm avoided being cut in half by a scrapped HS2 line now faces a massive underground gas pipeline running through his land.
Peter Oakes told Independent He felt like he was being “pushed uphill” when a letter arrived at his Cheshire farm warning him of a proposed 300-metre-wide pipeline across 160 acres of farmland.
The route is one of the two options considered for the 190-kilometer road in the district. underground lineIt will transport harmful carbon dioxide “captured” from cement and lime-making pits in Staffordshire and Derbyshire to storage under the Irish Sea.
The Peak Cluster will be the world’s largest cement decarbonisation project and last year received £28 million from the government’s Sovereign Wealth Fund. Chancellor Rachel Reeves claimed It will modernize industry, create jobs and deliver “vital carbon capture infrastructure”.
But for farmers like Mr Oakes, whose farm, Park Farm, has been in his family for more than 120 years, the project presents another headache after facing the prospect of an HS2 rail line running through his land taking years to come.
Despite the scrapping of the Crewe to Manchester high-speed rail line two years ago, much of its land remains under conservation measures; This means HS2 must be consulted on any development or sale to protect it from any future infrastructure.
Earlier this month ministers announced long-term plans for a new railway from Birmingham to Manchester, creating further uncertainty for landowners.
Meanwhile, Mr Oakes said he, like many dairy farmers across the country, was facing rapidly falling milk prices as well as the phasing out of EU-linked subsidies.
Mr Oakes, whose farm is near Middlewich and sits on the banks of the Shropshire Union canal, said: “It’s a really tough time for all of us at the moment so you can imagine how I felt when I was told they wanted to put a massive underground pipeline on my land, it’s like ‘pushing shit uphill’ at the moment.
“There’s very little support from the government for people like us who get in our way… and we’re expected to get on with it. It’s upsetting and causing pain for the family. The last thing we want right now is to have our land dug up, really?”
HS2 offered the 42-year-old more than £1 million for the farm as part of a “legal blight” process that allows property owners in protected areas to sell to the government. But Mr Oakes said he could not find another farm suitable to buy and was reluctant to sell the land due to family ties.
Now it faces doing business with Peak Cluster, the company behind the pipeline project. advice on the pipeline’s route this month.
Bosses said mapped plans showed a pipeline corridor 300 meters wide, but in reality a width of up to 40 meters would be needed to lay the pipe in a trench and the work would typically take six months.
They hope to reach voluntary agreements with landowners to allow construction of the pipeline, but could also seek to use compulsory powers if necessary. Following the current consultation, a further round will take place this year before a final decision on the plan is made by ministers within two years.
Peak Cluster managing director John Egan said: “We have sought to identify and contact all potentially affected landowners within the 300 meter wide corridor of the proposed underground pipeline route.
“We will speak to all landowners individually and continue to engage as we develop our plans. “We will seek to reach voluntary agreement with all landowners and will only seek to use compulsory access or purchase powers where this fails.
“Once we build the pipeline, we will restore farmland so that farmers can use their land as usual. We will also ensure that existing sewers continue to flow. Once construction is finished, the land will look and feel the same as before, just like the other pipelines are under our feet.”
Independent He contacted the Treasury Department for comment.
