‘We survived HS2 – now a huge pipeline backed by Rachel Reeves could split our farm in two’ | EUROtoday

A dairy farmer whose farm escaped being minimize in half by the scrapped HS2 line now faces having an enormous underground gasoline pipeline operating by way of his land.

Peter Oakes advised The Independent he felt like he was “pushing s*** uphill” after a letter arrived at his Cheshire farm to alert him to a proposed 300-metre-wide pipeline by way of his 160 acres of farmland.

The route is considered one of two choices within the county being thought of for the 120-mile underground line, which might take “captured” dangerous carbon dioxide from cement and lime-making quarries in Staffordshire and Derbyshire to storage below the Irish Sea.

Peak Cluster could be the world’s largest cement decarbonisation venture, and it obtained £28m from the federal government’s National Wealth Fund final yr. Chancellor Rachel Reeves claimed it might modernise business, create jobs and ship “vital carbon capture infrastructure”.

But for farmers like Mr Oakes, whose farm, Park Farm, has been in his household for greater than 120 years, the venture presents one other headache, after years of going through the prospect of an HS2 rail line going by way of his land.

And regardless of the Crewe to Manchester high-speed line being scrapped two years in the past, a lot of his land stays below safeguarding measures, which implies HS2 have to be consulted on any growth or sale to guard it from any future infrastructure.

Earlier this month, ministers introduced long-term plans for a brand new Birmingham to Manchester railway, including additional uncertainty for landowners.

Meanwhile, Mr Oakes, like many dairy farmers throughout the nation, stated he was going through plummeting milk costs in addition to the phased-out lack of EU-linked subsidies.

Mr Oakes, whose farm is close to Middlewich and sits on the financial institution of the Shropshire Union canal, stated: “It’s a real hard time for us all at the moment, so you can imagine how I felt when I got told they want to put down a huge underground pipeline across my land, it’s like “pushing s*** uphill” in the mean time.

“There is very little support from the government for people like us who are having one thing after another thrown our way… and we’re expected to just get on with it. It’s distressing and causing hurt for the family. The last thing we now want is for our land to be dug up, really is it?”

HS2 has provided the 42-year-old greater than £1m for the farm as a part of a “statutory blight” course of, which permits property house owners in safeguarded areas to promote to the federal government. However, Mr Oakes stated he has not been capable of finding one other farm appropriate to purchase, and he’s reluctant to promote as a result of his household ties to the land.

Now he faces coping with Peak Cluster, the corporate behind the pipeline venture, which began a session on the route of the pipeline this month.

Bosses have stated the mapped plans present a 300-metre-wide pipeline hall, however in actuality, a width of as much as 40 metres could be required for the laying of the pipe in a trench, with work sometimes lasting for six months.

They hope to strike voluntary agreements with landowners to permit the pipeline development, however may search to make use of obligatory powers if mandatory. Following the present session, an additional spherical will probably be performed this yr earlier than a closing resolution on the plan is made by ministers inside two years’ time.

John Egan, chief govt of Peak Cluster, stated: “We have attempted to identify and contact all potentially affected landowners within the 300-metre-wide corridor of the proposed underground pipeline route.

“We will be speaking to all landowners individually and will continue to engage as we develop our plans. We will attempt to reach [a] voluntary agreement with all landowners and will only seek to use compulsory access or acquisition powers where this is unsuccessful.

“After we have built the pipeline, we will reinstate agricultural land so farmers can use their land in the same way as they always have. We will also ensure that existing drains continue to flow. When construction ends, just as with other pipelines under our feet, the land will look and feel just as it did before.”

The Independent has contacted the Treasury for remark.