I do not support the Peak Cluster pipeline proposals.

Too many questions remain unanswered about the impact on our communities and countryside, public safety and particularly the financial case for the scheme. In my view the developers would be better served going back to the drawing board.

I am making my position clear at this early stage, before the initial consultation closes and before a formal application has even been made, because residents, farmers and parish councils have already raised serious concerns about the proposals.

They are entitled to know where I stand while there is still time for those concerns to be answered. This is not about closing down the consultation.

It is a clear signal to the developers that they must produce real answers and, where necessary, real changes.

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Mr Roca says the developers 'would be better served going back to the drawing board' (Credit: Tim Roca MP)

Those affected deserve clear answers, backed by independent evidence, about the risks and disruption they could face and why this route has been chosen.

Before any approval is considered, there must be a comprehensive reassessment of the scheme and a transparent comparison of reasonable alternatives.

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That must include independent scrutiny of safety and emergency response arrangements, the effects on wildlife, watercourses and agricultural land, and whether the project offers value for public money.

I support action to tackle climate change and reduce industrial emissions. But that does not mean accepting this particular scheme without convincing evidence that it can deliver those benefits while protecting the communities it would affect. Nothing I have seen so far meets that test.

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This week, I will be meeting academic experts to examine the evidence and test the claims being made.

I will keep engaging with the developers and pressing ministers for answers, but that engagement should not be mistaken for support.

My position today is clear: I cannot support this project proceeding. I will judge any future proposals on the evidence, and the burden is on the developers to earn that support.

Tim Roca MP

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