THE FERMANAGH TRUST The Fermanagh Trust - Community Owned Community - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

LAURI McCUSKER

DIRECTOR

THE FERMANAGH TRUST

The Fermanagh Trust

• Community Owned – Community Led
• Social Enterprise

Factors of Production

• Resources which are building blocks of the

Economy

• What people use to produce goods &

resources

Land (inc. any natural resources inc Forests) Labour – people’s contribution Capital – Machinery, Tools & Buildings

*Money can be used to buy Capital*

Entrepreneurship – Land, Labour & Capital to

earn a ‘profit’

Maximising Community Outcomes from Wind Energy Developments

• Reasons for the research
• The policy context in Northern Ireland
• Lessons from elsewhere
• Community Planning
• The future for Northern Ireland

Aim/Objectives

The research aimed to explore the opportunities that exist for communities to engage with commercial onshore wind energy development by examining the following:

• Undertake an analysis of community benefits provided by wind energy

developers in the UK

• Investigate the potential of community ownership models and identify

good practice towards the provision of community benefits

• Investigate the approach taken by government, the wind industry and the

voluntary sector in engaging and working in partnership with local communities

Types of Community Benefits in the UK

• Local contracting and jobs
• Benefits in kind
• Community funds
• Community ownership (sometimes referred to as local
• wnership)

Community ownership is challenging, and has not been as widespread as in other counties in the UK

Challenges can include:

• The regulatory environment
• Planning and legislative issues
• The ability to access finance during the development

process

• Time and commitment from the community
• Lack of technical experience or ‘know-how’ to progress a

project

Benefits of Ownership

• Higher levels of social acceptance of wind energy
• The development of new local knowledge and skills
• Enhancing social and technical and social innovation
• Benefits resulting from the social interaction and cooperation and

interaction which is needed to develop such a project

• Basing local incomes on a sustainable use of local resources
• Increasing stakeholders knowledge of energy and environmental

issues

• Substantial financial benefits

Cowell, R., Bristow, G., Munday, M. and Strachan, P. (2008) Wind Farm Development in Wales: Assessing the Community Benefits, a research project for the Welsh Assembly Government, Cardiff.

Community Ownership Models

• Full ownership
• Part ownership
• Community/Developer joint venture
• Co-operative

Recommendations (based on good practise)

Communities 1. A not for profit organisation to take lead role in;

• Establishing good practise guidance inc. policy on

community engagement & promoting a toolkit on community benefits. 2. All local communities to take an active role when developments are being considered – exploring a range of community benefits 3. Local community development organisations to examine & where possible develop community ownership models

Developers 4. Community Benefit Fund

• Minimum initial payment £2,000 per MW instilled capacity
• Minimum annual payment of £2,000 per MW instilled

capacity (index linked) 5. Community Ownership

• Offered as part of a community benefits package

6. Community Engagement

• Clear protocols implemented, based on good practice &

include post construction relationships

Local Councils

• 7. Guidance protocols to be formally established

Government

• 8. D.E.T.I – implement policies to support communities to

become proactive i.e. local energy assessment fund

• 9. D.A.R.D – commercialisation forestry estate for wind farm

developments

• 10. Community Benefit Register
• 11. 1 Government Department to take lead role

Key Developments since 2012 Government

• Discussions with Industry
• Commitment to Produce Action Plan on Community

Energy

• Community Benefits Register
• Forestry Land – Wind Farm Developments

Communities

• Increase Capacity
• Community Energy NI

Community Energy has the ability to:

• Generate a long-term sustainable income

for communities;

• Help to empower & give autonomy to local

people;

• Help to strengthen communities & help to

tackle pressing local issues such as fuel poverty & help to raise energy awareness

• Save communities money on their energy

bills;

• Strengthen communities & provide greater

community cohesion & resilience;

• Help to tackle climate change;
• Contribute to the local economy;
• Allows energy to be generated locally &

enables people to have greater control over their energy supply.

Advancing Community Energy

12 Recommendations include:

• Community Ownership
• Planning & Local Land (Community Plans)
• Public Sector Led Example

Key Issues

• Government Commitment
• Direction of Travel
• Rural Development Programme
• Challenging Communities