'Major gas pipeline could be laid by our front door'
BBCA farming couple have raised concerns that a major gas pipeline could be laid "within 40ft (12.2m) of the front door" to their home.
The proposed Peak Cluster pipeline is set to run across the meadows in front of the Staffordshire Moorlands farm where Julie Potter and James Bishop have lived for the past 15 years.
They were first notified of the proposals in December 2025, with recently revised plans showing the work could cut across the main driveway of their 12-acre property near Leek.
A spokesperson for the Peak Cluster scheme acknowledged there would be some disruption to those along the route but said the scheme was essential for decarbonisation.
Peak Cluster aims to make the cement industry more sustainable by transporting carbon dioxide from factories in Derbyshire and Staffordshire into storage sites underneath the Irish Sea via a pipeline which runs through Cheshire and The Wirral.
The team behind the project - a joint initiative between four cement firms - estimates its 200km (120-mile) pipeline will prevent three million tonnes of carbon dioxide being emitted into the atmosphere each year.
The scheme has proven controversial, with four councils formally opposing the pipeline.
But Potter said since finding out the scheme was due to come so close to her home she had had "some quite low times" and had discussed whether they should sell their home.
"Both of us recently retired after putting a lot of money and effort into the property, and seven years of our lives are going to be disrupted with this," she said.
Potter added she was spending time every day trying to raise awareness of the scheme on social media and had sent Peak Cluster four pages worth of questions, so far without reply.
"It winds you up, because of the lack of communication," said Bishop. "As far as they are concerned, Julie and I are nobodies."
Peak Cluster CEO David Parkin described the pipeline, which is expected to cost around £5bn, as a "well-developed technology".
Private companies would foot the bill, but could then earn subsidies from the government depending on the amount of carbon dioxide they were able to remove from their operations.
Parkin said they had drawn up a route they were "pretty comfortable with" but added there was more consultation and that the proposals would "continue to evolve".
Parkin told BBC Radio Stoke a consultation on the initial route earlier in the year had led to 5,500 pieces of feedback, which had caused changes to the proposed route.
He added that letters had gone out to land owners affected by the changes, and said these proposals would be consulted on in November. Landscaping schemes would also be put in place to restore sites once work was complete, he added.
Parkin also claimed carbon capture was the only viable solution to achieve government ambitions to fully decarbonise cement production.
The gas could not be stored closer to the cements works, he said, because the geology was not right for storing it on-shore.
Tony Rimmer, director of land and property specialists Rostons said it was farmers who would likely be most impacted by the pipeline's construction.
"They're going to have huge swathes cut through their land and they're going to lose their land for probably two years during the construction period," he said.
The working area for its construction would usually be between 30m and 50m in width, he added.
A spokesperson for Peak Cluster said they had continually reviewed and refined the pipeline's design, adding that there would be further consultation on proposed changes to take local priorities into account.
"It helps to identify opportunities to improve the design, respond to local concerns and environmental considerations and ensure the project can be built and operated safely and effectively," they said.
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