Supporting the Community

We pride ourselves with our Corporate Social Policy. We strive to be equitable and transparent with our stakeholders. Supporting the communities in which we work forms an integral part of this. Our intention is to build positive relationships at the local level and enable communities to benefit from the work we do.

Engagement

Different communities have different needs. We engage with each community at early stage of development to understand their aspirations and concerns. This helps us tailor our support in accordance with the need and expectations of the communities.

We want to make sure that everyone understands our proposals and that we understand all the concerns that the community has.

We will undertake the following engagement steps:

• Kick off meeting with key community groups at an early stage in project development.
• Formal pre-application engagement based on the detailed layout and design for the site. This will include townhall meetings and question and answer sessions to address any concerns or queries.
• Follow up meetings based on the formal pre-application engagement.

If the project is consented and receives Consent, we will work with the community during construction phase to minimise disruption and ensure proposed benefits and support are put in place.

We have identified the following groups which we will seek to engage with as part of the project:

• Smyrton Residents and local nearby properties
• Ballantrae Community Council
• Barhill Community Council

If you represent a group that isn’t listed, or you would like to be kept informed as an individual, please get in touch using the contact form.

Support

Prioritising local supply chain

‍We will prioritise local supply chain during the construction phase of the project. Contractors will be encouraged to invest jobs, time, resources, and money in the nearby communities.

Technical Education & Employment Pathways

Each project discipline (including electrical, mechanical, civil) will employ a “T level” apprentice from local communities. These young apprentices will be 16-19 years of age, and this is an alternative vocational training to Highers. We will educate and train them for opportunities in Scotland’s renewable energy sector.

Community Benefit

We are committed to investing over the lifetime of the project into a Community Benefits Package that will include a Community Fund specifically for the development.  We would seek to engage with the communities affected to establish the appropriate geographic area for benefits and the community priorities in order to provide a package that best delivers on the community's needs.  We would seek to support the community in forming the appropriate structures to manage any ongoing benefits which could be used to deliver a wide range of initiatives for the communities.

We would index the fund with the net profits of the project so that we deliver transparency along the way.