Environmental Protection Forum to guide Council response to Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects in west Cheshire
A new forum has been established to oversee Cheshire West and Chester Council’s response to Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs) in the borough.
The new Environmental Protection Forum, which includes cross-party members from the Council, a range of local partners including Cheshire Fire and Rescue services and community representatives, will provide advice and context to Council members on NSIPs taking place or proposed in the borough.
The forum was established following a Notice of Motion, which was put forward following an extraordinary Council meeting on 21 April 2026 about the proposed Peak Cluster Project.
At the full Council meeting, it was agreed that the Council would strongly oppose the proposals for the Peak Cluster pipeline. Following the meeting, a letter was sent to the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero setting out the Council’s formally adopted position.
The first meeting of the Environmental Protection Forum took place in mid-June, and the Forum will review nationally significant infrastructure projects affecting the borough. It will also keep elected Members informed and engaged at an early stage of the statutory consultation process for each major infrastructure project, including prior to the submission of key Council responses.
Following agreement at the Full Council meeting in April regarding the proposed Peak Cluster project, we have introduced this Forum to provide additional scrutiny of major strategic infrastructure projects beyond our statutory duties as a local authority. It provides an opportunity for a range of partners, including those representing the local community, to voice residents’ concerns, democratic views, and the impacts on the local area and our communities, alongside the technical input that Council officers already provide. West Cheshire is made up of a diverse landscape of habitats, and this Forum will have an advisory role with an environmental focus, providing guidance to Members to ensure our local habitats are considered and protected as projects are proposed and delivered in the borough.
A Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) is a large-scale development in the UK that is considered strategically important to the country’s economy, energy supply, or transport system. Unlike typical developments, NSIPs require a Development Consent Order (DCO) from central government and are not determined by the local authority. Local authorities are a statutory consultee in NSIPs, even though they do not make the final decision, and Cheshire West and Chester Council intends to engage fully in this process to ensure the interests of residents are represented.