COMMUNITY BENEFIT

It is our policy to ensure that each wind farm development brings tangible benefits to the local community. The usual mechanism for this is through the provision of a community fund, which is paid annually and relates to the size of the wind farm.

We are proposing a community fund of £2,000 per installed MW, which equates to more than £25,000 per year, based on an indicative installed capacity of 12.6MW. The fund will be managed by a local body, the formation of which shall be decided in consultation with local communities. We would encourage anyone with a view on how the community fund should be managed or spent to discuss this with us or your representatives on the Community Liaison Group at any time during the planning process. It is important to note that the offer of a community benefit fund will  not affect the decision to grant planning permission for the project as it is not a planning matter.

Community funds are operating successfully at other RES wind farms in the UK. For example, at Altahullion Wind Farm in Northern Ireland, the fund has been spent on the creation of a new community riverside pathway and footbridge, entertainment activities for family fun days, summer schemes for local children, and the maintenance and running of community buildings.

If you have any views on how the community fund should work please contact