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Achieving Impact with Community Benefit

Achieving Impact with Community Benefit. Where is the Money Going. Ardgay, Sutherland David Hannah Community Council Panel Member. WINDFARM ACTIVITY IN THE NORTH HIGHLANDS OF SCOTLAND. WHERE DOES THE BENEFIT COME FROM?. IN THE BEGINNING

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Achieving Impact with Community Benefit

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  1. Achieving Impact with Community Benefit

  2. Where is the Money Going Ardgay, Sutherland David Hannah Community Council Panel Member

  3. WINDFARM ACTIVITY IN THE NORTH HIGHLANDS OF SCOTLAND

  4. WHERE DOES THE BENEFIT COME FROM? IN THE BEGINNING Developers just told us what we would be getting – no consultation and no options PROGRESS Now when developers are planning to invade our community they come and talk to us, negotiate with us and seem to be more flexible about what ‘Benefit’ means to them & us.

  5. Wind Farms & Developers • Beinn Tharsuinn - 20 • Achany - 19 • Rosehall - 19 • Sallachy - 22 • Glen Morie - 42 • Dalnessie - 27 • Coire na Cloich - 13 • Glen Cassley - 26 • Braemore - 25 • Beinn nan Oighrean - 2 • SSE • SSE • E.ON • WKN • AES • SSE • Rock by Sea • SSE • Wind Prospect Developments Ltd • Rock by Sea Operating - Proposed

  6. From the previous slide you will have seen that there are/proposed over 200 turbines for our area and we anticipate some £1 million every year for the next 25 years in community benefit, if they all go ahead, and we expect to be a very wealthy community.

  7. BALANCE SHEET BENEFIT – INCOME Beinn Tharsuinn (6 years) £104,953.15 Achany – (4 years) £380,000.00 Rosehall – (1 year only) £61,132.50 GRANTS – AWARDED Ardgay locally £95,456.03 Ardgay, Bonar Bridge & Lairg £315,066.43 Ardgay, Bonar Bridge & Lairg £59,271.37 Some of the balances are future committed funding where grants are given over 2 or 3 years

  8. WHO BENEFITTED • Village Halls • Community Council Newsletter • Community Woodlands • Youth Development Group • Learning Centre • Development Workers • Golf Club • Primary School Parent Council • Voluntary Groups • Christmas Lights • Apprenticeship Scheme • Foundation Scotland Administration Costs • Citizens Advice Bureau • Old Peoples Centre • Community Care Forum • New Futures • Angling Club • Football Club • Royal British Legion Scotland • Archaeology Group Most of us did – in some way or another

  9. APPRENTICESHIP SCHEME • POTENTIAL EMPLOYERS • Garage • Joiner • Builder • Electrician • Plumber • Estates • Fisheries Trust • YOUNG PEOPLE • Unqualified • Early leavers • No opportunities • No industry • No prospects • No money • Poor transport links Scheme costs to date £55,826.23 5 Apprentices with 3 more due to start work this year

  10. What has been achieved in Ardgay and the Kyle of Sutherland and what we have learned during the process

  11. GOOD THINGS • Many of the smaller groups and organisations which were awarded grants would not have been able to continue, and progress. • Funding has helped them to grow and recruit new members because of what they asked for grants for. • In many cases the money has been used as partnership for other applications for funding. • Sometimes the grants helped to keep people in employment long enough to access more finance, or to complete a project. • Money will keep coming for the next 25 years, and we are setting up an endowment trust to make sure it will continue.

  12. SOME BAD THINGS People have become dependent on grants and stopped fundraising for themselves. Groups and organisations ‘expect’ that they will be bailed out if they don’t have sufficient reserves to carry out projects to completion. Other people outwith our community are jealous and accuse us of ‘rich’ discrimination because we have wind farms and they don’t. Local authorities are always looking for ways to cut their funding to us because we are getting community benefit, and they are not getting a cut. Developers make contracts to get them through Planning – then try to renege on them, or plead for a reduction until they are in profit.

  13. NOW • As Windfarm ‘Experts’ we are now a bit wiser in progressing enquiries and applications from developers. • We get commitments before agreeing not to object, although individuals can and still do our community accepts the general policies that say we need alternative energy. • Having established precedents we are looking for the maximum achievable benefit in exchange for loss of our natural and spectacular scenery.

  14. WHAT NEXT? • We continue to work with our neighbours to ensure there is no reasons to form individual agreements. • Developers are ‘expected’ to offer more than recommended, either in profit share or other benefits and they are encouraged to support local employment. • By setting up endowment trusts we will secure future funding for our communities when new technology supercedes wind farms. • Through support from Foundation Scotland and groups like us across Scotland we lobby the Scottish government to set out consistent policies for both communities and developers.

  15. THANK YOU • That concludes my small presentation thanks for listening and if you have any questions I’ll try to respond now, but if I can’t give you the answer I’ll find it and let you have it later. WE HAVE PLANTED THE SEEDS NOW LET US REAP THE HARVEST

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