Cheshire East has been urged to publicly debate Peak Cluster and its implications locally so concerned residents know the council's view on it.

The proposed scheme would capture harmful carbon dioxide from cement and lime plants in Derbyshire and Staffordshire and transfer it by pipeline to a storage facility under the Irish Sea.

If it was to receive government approval, the planned 121-mile underground pipeline would pass through parts of Cheshire.

Wirral and Derbyshire councils have already expressed their opposition to the proposal.

Poynton councillor Hayley Whitaker (Con) told Cheshire East's final meeting of the environment and communities committee: "I recognise that some of the arguments around Peak Cluster is that the council that may be more impacted about this is certainly Wirral…

"Clearly, Wirral Council have had their own extraordinary meeting on this, where all councillors have taken a vote on it, and it's been open for discussion and also has been open for public debate.

"Derbyshire has now also had a vote in relation to Peak Cluster as a council and 30 of our own town and parish councils have actually responded to the consultation, which closed at the end of February."

She reminded the committee of her previous request in January to put Peak Cluster on the agenda for this meeting – which had not happened.

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She said residents were rightly asking what Cheshire East's view was on the proposal.

"I do think we need to have [a meeting] and take a view on this and offer residents an opportunity to discuss it," said Cllr Whitaker.

"Peak Cluster is passing through us, and we're going to end up with an awful lot of disruption for our residents and damage to our environment, with none of the benefits that it might bring in terms of extra jobs into the area and extra income and monetary value into the area, either."

She asked that it be put on the agenda for the next full council meeting, as the environment and communities committee will no longer exist once the council changes over to a cabinet system in May.

Chris Allman, director of planning and environment, said officers would be holding a briefing on Peak Cluster for councillors as part of the local plan update.

Cllr Whitaker said she was grateful for that, but stressed it needed to be in the public domain at full council.

Committee chair David Jefferay (Wilmslow, Ind) said: "We'll minute that and try to get something sorted."