Developing local partnerships for onshore wind in England

This consultation is about improving engagement between communities and wind energy developers and improving the system of community benefits from onshore wind developments. CLA has limited recent experience from which to draw on these issues because national planning policy in England has meant there has been limited opportunity to develop onshore wind in since 2015. Our members involvement in renewable power generation has tended to be either at small scales for self-supply to future proof their own operations; or at larger export to grid scales through leasing land to developers of solar farms. Opportunities for community involvement in small scale self-supply situations is limited and arguably unnecessary. It is much more significant for larger export to grid scale projects but here, although a landowner may have some input, community engagement and benefit would generally be led by the developer as part of their scheme design and planning application process.