Farmers Fight Back: How a Pipeline Project Threatens a Family Farm (2026)

"We’ve made it through the challenges of HS2, but now a massive pipeline championed by Rachel Reeves threatens to slice our farm in two."

A dairy farmer whose land narrowly avoided being divided by the abandoned HS2 railway project is now confronted with the looming threat of a substantial underground gas pipeline set to traverse his property.

Peter Oakes shared with The Independent his feelings of frustration and helplessness, describing his experience as akin to "pushing s*** uphill" after receiving notification about a proposed 300-meter-wide pipeline cutting through his 160 acres of farmland in Cheshire.

This pipeline is one of two potential routes under consideration for an extensive 120-mile underground line designed to transport captured carbon dioxide—an environmental hazard—from cement and lime production sites in Staffordshire and Derbyshire to designated storage locations beneath the Irish Sea.

The Peak Cluster initiative aims to become the world’s largest project dedicated to cement decarbonization and has already secured £28 million from the UK government’s National Wealth Fund last year. Chancellor Rachel Reeves has asserted that this initiative will modernize the industry, generate employment opportunities, and establish critical carbon capture infrastructure.

However, for farmers like Mr. Oakes, who has been tending to Park Farm—a family-run operation for over 120 years—the introduction of this project adds yet another complication to an already challenging situation. Having previously grappled with the uncertainty surrounding the HS2 rail line's potential impact on his land, Mr. Oakes now finds himself facing a similar dilemma once again.

Even though the high-speed rail line from Crewe to Manchester was canceled two years ago, much of Mr. Oakes’s land remains subject to safeguarding measures. This means that any future developments or sales must be approved by HS2 to protect against possible infrastructure projects in the future.

To compound the issue, just recently, government officials unveiled long-term plans for a new railway connecting Birmingham and Manchester, further intensifying the uncertainty faced by local landowners.

Like many dairy farmers nationwide, Mr. Oakes is also dealing with rapidly declining milk prices coupled with the phased removal of EU-related subsidies. He resides near Middlewich, alongside the Shropshire Union Canal, and expressed his distress by stating, "It’s a really tough time for everyone right now, so you can imagine how I felt when I learned they want to install a colossal underground pipeline across my land—it feels like I’m constantly struggling uphill."

He added, "There’s hardly any support from the government for individuals like us who are continuously being faced with one obstacle after another... and we’re expected to just cope with it. It’s heartbreaking and causing significant distress for my family. The last thing we want is for our land to be excavated."

HS2 has offered Mr. Oakes over £1 million for his farm as part of a "statutory blight" provision, which allows property owners in protected areas to sell their land to the government. However, Mr. Oakes has been unable to find another suitable farm to purchase and is hesitant to sell due to his strong familial ties to the land.

Now, he must confront the realities of the Peak Cluster project, the company responsible for the pipeline initiative, which recently initiated a consultation regarding the route of the pipeline.

Company executives have indicated that while the plans depict a corridor for the pipeline measuring 300 meters in width, the actual construction would necessitate a trench requiring up to 40 meters of space, with construction activities typically lasting around six months.

They aim to negotiate voluntary agreements with affected landowners to permit the construction of the pipeline; however, they reserve the right to employ compulsory powers if necessary. Following the ongoing consultation period, another round of discussions will take place later this year before a conclusive decision is rendered by ministers within a two-year timeframe.

John Egan, the chief executive of Peak Cluster, stated, "We have made efforts to identify and reach out to all potentially impacted landowners within the proposed 300-meter corridor of the underground pipeline route. We intend to engage with each landowner individually and will maintain communication as we refine our plans. Our goal is to establish voluntary agreements with all landowners, and we will only consider utilizing compulsory access or acquisition powers should these negotiations prove unsuccessful.

"Once the pipeline is constructed, we will restore the agricultural land to ensure farmers can continue using their land as they always have. We’ll also make certain that existing drainage systems function properly. When construction concludes, much like other pipelines that lie beneath our feet, the land will appear and feel just as it did prior to the work."

The Independent has reached out to the Treasury for additional comments.