Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance Natural England and the Environment Agency have issued to privately developed carbon capture projects such as Peak Clusters on protecting wildlife and designated habitats on the Wirral and Dee Estuary.

Natural England has provided formal advice through the Environmental Impact Assessment scoping consultation. This identified several matters requiring further consideration, including gaps and inaccuracies in the assessment of designated sites, missing protected species survey data, including for natterjack toads on the Wirral, and the need for a more robust assessment of air quality, landscape and habitat impacts. Natural England also advised on the need for detailed agricultural land classification information.

On Wirral, Natural England has raised concerns regarding the marine ecology assessment, the adequacy of protected species surveys, and potential impacts on protected habitats and bird features.

Natural England will continue to engage with the applicant and provide evidence-based advice as the proposals develop, with the aim of securing appropriate protection for the natural environment.

The Environment Agency published carbon capture guidance and is developing its evidence and regulatory approach to understand and manage potential impacts from carbon capture developments.