Nationally significant infrastructure projects

Nationally significant infrastructure projects (NSIPs) are major infrastructure projects in energy, transport, water, waste, and waste water. They require approval from the Secretary of State through a Development Consent Order (DCO) under the Planning Act 2008 rather than a traditional planning permission.

Cheshire East Council expects to engage with NSIP promoters early in their project development. This ensures proper understanding, minimisation, mitigation, and compensation for adverse impacts on the environment and communities in our area.

How the process works

Applications for NSIPs are submitted to the Planning Inspectorate. They examine the proposal and make a recommendation to the Secretary of State who are responsible for making the final decision, guided by National Policy Statements.

The process from submission to determination can be lengthy and typically takes around 15 months.

Find out more about the NSIP process on the Planning Inspectorate’s website.

Our role

Where a proposal falls within our administrative boundary, Cheshire East Council is defined as a ‘Host Authority’.

As a host authority, the council have a role throughout the various stages of the process from pre-application to examination and post-consent, and we can assist in providing a local perspective to shape the NSIP proposals. Our key responsibilities include:

• submitting a Local Impact Report to outline how a project affects Cheshire East
• providing written representations and responding to Planning Inspectorate questions
• participating in Examination Hearings
• if consented, discharging any requirements on the consent, and monitoring the works carried out to ensure compliance with the provisions in the DCO.

Our Local Impact Report has a wide range of environmental considerations including:

• biodiversity
• heritage
• landscape
• flood risk management
• transport, highways and rights of way
• public health and amenity

Have your say

Before submitting their application, the project promoter consults with the community and usually advertises their consultations in local newspapers, dedicated websites, and/or by sending letters or flyers to nearby residents. Statutory consultees including the parish councils and Cheshire East Council will also receive notifications. The consultation material will include details on how to respond to the consultation and there are often several stages of consultation as the draft design is refined.

Once a project is listed on the Planning Inspectorate’s website, you can search for a project and sign up for email updates on the progress of the application.

If you want to participate in the examination of an NSIPs, you will need to sign up for updates, as the promoter will notify you about key events and deadlines. You must register to have your say at the pre-examination stage.

To find out more about having your say on NSIPs, including how to access the registration page for making comments, see the Planning Inspectorate's having your say guide.

Current NSIPs projects in Cheshire East

Hynet Hydrogen Pipeline

Cadent Gas propose a 100km pipeline network to transport low carbon hydrogen from Stanlow Manufacturing Complex (Ellesmere Port) to various industrial organisations, and to transport hydrogen to blending stations near Manchester where it would be blended into the existing gas network to heat homes and businesses. The project would also link to underground hydrogen storage facilities in Cheshire that would be used to balance supply and demand. The section of the pipeline corridor situated within Cheshire East would run in a south westerly direction from Little Bollington to High Leigh before crossing the M6 and entering the Cheshire West and Chester administrative boundary.

HyNet North West Hydrogen Pipeline website

Peak Cluster CCS Pipeline

The scheme proposed the capture and storage of carbon dioxide (CO2) from cement and lime manufacturing in Derbyshire and Staffordshire and to transport it by pipeline to a permanent storage location under the Irish Sea.

Key elements of the project include:

• New carbon dioxide capture facilities at four existing cement and lime plants in Derbyshire and Staffordshire
• Buried pipeline system to transport carbon dioxide emissions across Cheshire, to the network exchange point on the Wirral.
• Associated above-ground inspection and maintenance facilities.
• New CO2 infrastructure on the Wirral peninsula to facilitate the transport of the CO2 offshore.

In order to transport the CO2 from Derbyshire/ Staffordshire to the storage destination in the Irish Sea, the pipeline route will cut across the length of the Cheshire East administrative boundary, however the preferred route has not yet been chosen.

Peak Cluster website

Legislation and Regulation

Cheshire East Council NSIP Fee Structure 

Cheshire East Council NSIP Fee Structure

Cheshire East Council will seek to recover costs of all advice, information, response to consultations and other assistance provided in connection with an application or proposed application for a Development Consent Order, or to make a change to a DCO. In accordance with the legislation, the fees charged will not exceed the reasonable costs of providing the relevant services. The Council will seek to enter into a Planning Performance Agreement (PPA) with developers to establish a mutually agreed, clear and contractually robust set of principles for both parties. The PPA will detail the relevant services that the Council will recover costs for which may include (but it not limited to) services such as:

• Planning
• Ecology
• Landscape 
• Environmental Health
• Heritage
• Highways and Transport

Cheshire East Council will apply a standard hourly rate for relevant services. This rate will be applied to the actual time spent by officers on a given project.

The rate (excluding VAT) is £93 an hour. This rate is set on a cost recovery basis only, and will be kept under review. Legal costs and any external specialist expertise will be set out separately as required. If and where it is identified that the rate exceeds the reasonable costs incurred, the excess will be reimbursed accordingly to ensure compliance with cost recovery principles.

Legislation and regulation

As defined in Section 54A of the Planning Act 2008, Cheshire East Council can charge for statutory functions under Regulation 4 of The Infrastructure Planning (Fees) (Amendment) Regulations 2026 (PDF, 178KB) which amends Regulation 7 of The Infrastructure Planning (Fees) (Amendment) Regulations 2024 to insert host local authorities in Regulation 12A(4) of The Infrastructure Planning (Fees) Regulations 2010.

Section 111(1) of the Local Government Act 1972 provides Local Authorities with the powers to do anything involving the expenditure which is conducive or incidental to the discharge of any of their functions.

Section 54A(2) of the Planning Act 2008 defines a "relevant service" as "any advice, information or other assistance (including a response to a consultation) provided in connection with (a) an application or proposed application— (i) for an order granting development consent, or (ii) to make a change to, or revoke, such an order, or (b) any other prescribed matter relating to nationally significant infrastructure projects."

Infrastructure Planning (Fees) (Amendment) Regulations 2026

Host Local Authorities can charge fees for work on Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs) following changes to national planning regulations, from 8 June 2026.

The Government has amended Schedule 2 of the Infrastructure Planning (Fees) Regulations 2010, adding host local authorities to the list of Prescribed Public Authorities. This amendment provides Councils with the legal power to recover costs for the services they provide in connection with NSIPs. This means that Local Authorities can charge for their statutory involvement in NSIP proposals affecting its area. This includes providing technical advice, taking part in pre‑application discussions, and contributing to examination and post‑consent activities.

These new powers ensure that Councils are properly resourced to engage with major national infrastructure and represent the interests of the local area.