Community and local benefits

Community benefit fund

A community benefit fund is an established mechanism that enables energy companies to provide direct benefits to local communities affected by developments such as wind farms throughout the life of a scheme.

The community benefit fund is established outside the planning process and would materialise at the point the scheme comes into operation.

The community benefit fund would be managed by the local community for the local community.

Suggestions received to date for the use of a fund include purchasing and operating an electric school bus, and improving community, and youth recreational facilities.

The anticipated level of funding from the wind farm would amount to thousands of pounds per annum and could thereby go part of the way to supporting some of these projects over the life of the scheme in combination with other sources of funding.

We encourage you to give your ideas on what the funding could be used for and how the fund could be managed by using the ‘Give your feedback function’ on the left hand menu .