Chester Zoo has warned that plans for a carbon capture pipeline crossing its conservation land could cause lasting damage to some of the region's most sensitive habitats. James Christon, who has led the zoo since 2021, said the organisation supported the transition to low-carbon infrastructure but was against developments that risked destroying important ecosystems.
The zoo owns around 470 acres of land dedicated to regional conservation and habitat restoration outside its main site. Some of that land lies within the proposed route of the Peak Cluster Project, as first reported by the BBC.
What the Peak Cluster Project involves
The scheme aims to capture carbon dioxide from cement and lime plants in the Peak District before transporting it by underground pipeline to Morecambe Bay, where it would be stored in depleted gas fields beneath the Irish Sea. The proposed route would pass through areas of Chester and the Wirral, as well as land connected to Chester Zoo's conservation work.
Mr Christon said the plans could have a significant impact on wildlife, particularly wetlands that provide important habitats while also helping to store carbon.
Zoo's concerns over environmental impact
In a statement published to LinkedIn, Chester Zoo said: “The pipeline as currently proposed will jeopardise our commitment to manage at least 30% of our estate for UK biodiversity by 2030, our £4+ million regional conservation and habitat recovery programme, Networks for Nature, and environmentally sensitive habitats, including irreplaceable wetland habitats that support wildlife, store carbon and cannot simply be recreated once lost.
“We've engaged with representatives of the Peak Cluster project to raise these concerns with the expectation of seeing the route amended. To date, we have not seen such action taken. Our lived experience of the impacts of the construction of the HyNet CO2 pipeline project lead us to believe that the cumulative impact of both major infrastructure projects would represent a significant level of environmental impact.
“As a leading conservation charity in the UK, we have a responsibility to speak up. Whilst we recognise the importance of investing in infrastructure that supports the UK's transition to net zero, decarbonising industry should not come at the expense of nature.
“We therefore believe the regional environmental impacts of the Peak Cluster pipeline, as proposed, are unacceptable.”
Mr Christon also told the BBC that Chester Zoo is against “bad development that would damage the irreplaceable habitats and ecosystems we're all working so hard to protect. Once it's gone, it's gone forever”.
Peak Cluster's response
The ECHO reached out to Peak Cluster for further comment. Peak Cluster chief executive David Park said the project team had already been working with Chester Zoo on the design of the scheme and had discussed potential alternatives.
He told the ECHO: “At a time when we are on track for the hottest summer on record, taking bold action to tackle the substantial amount of carbon dioxide which we emit has never been more necessary.
"Peak Cluster is part of the solution, it will capture, transport and permanently store three million tonnes of carbon dioxide each year which is unavoidably emitted during cement and lime manufacturing. This is the equivalent to the amount of carbon dioxide absorbed annually by around 120 to 150 million trees.
“To ensure we design the project appropriately, we have been engaging with a wide range of organisations, community members, landowners and local groups – listening carefully to views and learning from stakeholders' expertise and experience.
“At our meeting with Chester Zoo, we explained the project design process, discussed options and confirmed we would provide updates as work progresses. Since May, we have remained in contact to agree access so that we can undertake ecology surveys on their land. We remain committed to working with Chester Zoo to address their concerns as far as possible.”
The project team has claimed it had reviewed more than 5,500 responses from its consultation and carried out additional engineering and environmental assessments. Mr Park said the findings, including information gathered from Chester Zoo's land, would be used to assess the project and potential pipeline locations. He added that stakeholders and members of the public who contributed to the consultation would be updated when the next stage of the project was reached.
