WHAT IS GOING ON WITH THE PEAK CLUSTER CONSULTATION DEADLINE?
Last Friday (13th), Wirral West MP Matthew Patrick stated that, following his meeting with Peak Cluster, the consultation period would be extended. You can watch his video about this on facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/reel/1096561995929982
Five days later, however, the Peak Cluster website still lists 27th February as the Phase 1 consultation deadline. Several residents have contacted Peak Cluster for clarification and were told that Matthew Patrick is incorrect and that no extension has been agreed. They were even told, “maybe he is talking about phase 2?”
Residents who contacted Matthew Patrick’s Hoylake office were told the opposite—that an extension to the phase 1 deadline had indeed been agreed with Peak Cluster last Friday.
When a resident asked whether minutes from Friday’s meeting could clarify the situation, they were told it was a “private meeting” and that no minutes could be provided.
Attempts to phone Peak Cluster again have been unsuccessful, with all calls going to a voicemail message stating that they were receiving high call volumes.
Firstly, why is Matthew Patrick MP holding a “private meeting” with Peak Cluster about a project that has such significant impact on his constituency? If this meeting was in his capacity as an MP, transparency should be a priority. It is best practice to keep records of any meeting dealing with such important matters—especially when decisions like extending a consultation period are supposedly agreed.
Secondly, the public deserves clear, consistent information about the consultation. After the poorly run public consultation events, we now have confusion over the consultation deadline itself. If this is how they manage a consultation, it raises serious concerns about how they would manage the construction and operation of a pipeline, with all the risks involved.
This is simply not good enough!
we must assume that the PHASE 1 CONSULTATION closing date is still 27th February.
You can take part in the consultation through Peak Cluster’s website:
Click on “Consultation”, scroll down to “How to Provide Your Feedback”, then continue down a few paragraphs and select the “online feedback form” link.
You will be asked to provide your details and respond to general statements such as “Do you agree or disagree that industry is important to the UK?”. Please note that your answers to these statements may be used by Peak Cluster to support their case. You are not required to answer all of their questions.
After submitting this section, you will be directed to questions about specific parts of the proposed pipeline. As this is only Phase 1 of the consultation, there will be opportunities to provide more detailed feedback later. For now, please ensure you register your opposition and include reasons for your views.
There are also sections for comments on “Additional Considerations” and “Our Consultation”, so do share your thoughts there as well.
It is important that as many people as possible register their opposition at this stage. The closing date is currently 27th February.
Thank you for your support.