Guidance

Community engagement from onshore wind developments: good practice guidance for England (accessible webpage)

Updated 4 July 2025

Applies to England

About these guidelines

This document provides updated good practice guidance for community engagement from onshore wind developments in England.

The guidance has been prepared to help communities, developers, and local authorities work together effectively.

The guidance reflects the range of approaches that developers and communities are taking to engage with each other.

Contained within the guidance are the first-hand testimonies and real-life examples from developers, community groups and local authorities, from across Great Britain, who have been at the forefront of developing new onshore wind projects.

This guidance does not seek to provide specific advice on the planning application process in England.

Key terms

Community

In the context of this guidance, community refers to groups of people who share in common the place where they reside, work, visit or otherwise spend a considerable proportion of their time.

Developers

An onshore wind developer is the organisation that takes an onshore wind project from being an idea to becoming a reality. Normally this will be a commercial organisation, however, some communities have also been instrumental in developing their own onshore wind projects and taken up options for shared ownership.

Key tasks include identifying a suitable location for the windfarm, designing the windfarm, getting planning permission, securing investment, and building the windfarm.

In some cases, a commercial developer’s objective will be to sell the windfarm once it is built and operational or when planning permission is received. In other cases, the developer may continue to own the windfarm for a period of years, or even its entire lifetime.

Local authorities and local planning authorities

The local planning authority will determine whether planning permission should be given to develop a new windfarm. As part of this they will review the quality of developer’s engagement and conduct their own public consultation process. They are also responsible for developing local plans in which suitable areas for the development of onshore wind turbines are identified and where relevant planning policies are set out.

In most cases the local planning authority will be the same body as the local authority responsible for delivering most public services locally. In some cases, the local planning authority will be a separate public body. For example, in national parks, a national park authority will act as the planning authority across several local authority areas.

The local authorities’ roles may vary considerably. In some cases, the local authority could be the developer or the landowner. They may work proactively with local communities and commercial organisations to create opportunities and support for an onshore windfarm.

Community Engagement

Community engagement, in the context of these guidelines, is not only about meeting the consultation requirements associated with a planning application process. It’s also about being a good neighbour throughout the lifetime of a project. It requires effective communication and engagement, from liaison about construction plans or operational issues to ensuring the community objective of the project are effectively realised.

Image: Thrive Renewables Windfarm Open Day

Introduction to the onshore windfarm development process

Processes for community engagement will closely relate to what is happening in the development of the onshore wind project overall.

Process

Typically, onshore windfarm development processes can be divided into 6 phases:

1. Scoping
2. Project development
3. Planning permission
4. Construction
5. Operation
6. End of the project

Timeframes will vary but typically the first three steps will be completed over a period of several years, construction will generally take between six and 12 months depending on the size of the development, and the life of the project is likely to be at least 25-30 years. Planning for the end of the project should begin long before it is due to come to an end.

The table below provides a summary of these stages and highlights the corresponding guidance on good practice for community engagement outlined in the document.

Stage 1: Scoping

Onshore windfarm development process:

Good practice guidance on community engagement provided in this document:

- A site is identified for an onshore wind project based on its theoretical potential. - Engagement will usually begin between the landowner and the developer. - Preliminary technical and feasibility studies will be commissioned to establish development potential and concept. - This might include the erection an anemometer (for measuring the actual wind speed over a period of time). - The developer will design and begin pre-application consultation with the local community.

- A community engagement plan is developed and consulted on (see Good Practice Topic 1). - Engagement starts early (see Good Practice Topic 2) - The community is identified (see Good Practice Topic 3).

Stage 2: Project development

Onshore windfarm development process:	Good practice guidance on community engagement provided in this document:
- The developer will undertake pre-planning application consultation with the local community. - The developer will also begin to commission a range of detailed technical studies to inform the design of the site and planning application. These might include studies related to the local ecology and network connection options.	- Engagement needs to reach the whole community (see Good Practice Topic 4). - Engagement continues using multiple methods and platforms (see Good Practice Topic 4.) - Initial feedback from the engagement process is shared with the community (see Good Practice Topic 5)

Stage 3: Planning Application

Onshore windfarm development process:

Good practice guidance on community engagement provided in this document:

- The local planning authority will make the planning application public and begin a public consultation. - Taking into account the consultation results, the local planning authority will review the application and determine whether the project can go ahead. - Planning permission may only be granted for a limited period, e.g. the expected operational lifetime of the project, and come with specific conditions attached.

Community consultation on the planning application takes place, led by the local planning authority. The planning system itself is not covered in detail in this guidance. Further information on the UK planning system can be found at www.gov.uk or directly through your local planning authority.

Stage 4: Construction

Onshore windfarm development process:	Good practice guidance on community engagement provided in this document:
- The full construction process will generally take between six and 12 months depending on the size of the development. - Construction commences with the windfarm infrastructure, including access tracks, turbine bases, cable corridors and onsite substation. - Once all this is in place, the turbine manufacturer may send its own specialised crew and equipment to erect the turbines.	- Careful management and consultation on the timings and expected duration of construction activity and of the approach routes to the site that will be used is vital to ensure that the impact on the community is minimised (see Good Practice Topic 6).

Stage 5: Operation

Onshore windfarm development process:	Good practice guidance on community engagement provided in this document:
- The site becomes operational when it is connected to the electricity network. - Once the project is operational it is likely that activity on the site will be reduced with occasional inspection and maintenance of the site. - In time it is possible that ownership of the windfarm could change.	- It is important to maintain clear and regular lines of communication between the developer and community (see Good Practice Topic 6).

Stage 6: Planning for the end of the Project

Onshore windfarm development process:	Good practice guidance on community engagement provided in this document:
There are three likely scenarios for what will happen next: - Decommissioning – the infrastructure is removed.
- Repowering – the existing infrastructure is replaced. This may mean new turbines. - Life-extension – the existing infrastructure continues to be used.	- The community should be engaged with early on in end of project life decisions (see Good Practice Topic 7).

Community engagement

Introduction to community engagement

Why is community engagement important?

For communities, engagement means a chance to understand what is proposed, to explore how a development can bring value to an area, to identify which options would work best within a local context, to help shape solutions and to have their say on a scheme.

(Developer)

Image: Hagshaw Hill Windfarm Repowering Community Exhibition.

Good community engagement can help communities, the developer, and local authorities to: 

• Build and maintain support for new projects.
• Identify community concerns and ensure that they can be addressed.
• Improve project plans, leading to better decisions and outcomes overall.
• Identify and create new opportunities and benefits for local communities.
• Increase public knowledge and awareness of the importance of renewable energy.
• Maintain the positive reputation of the UK’s onshore wind industry.
• Inform the design, size, and location of windfarms.
• Minimise the disruption of construction of windfarms.

What is good practice in community engagement?

Ensuring that local authorities, developers and communities are able to work together effectively requires good practice in community engagement.

This section of the guidance focuses on seven key topics:

• Good Practice Topic 1: Community engagement plan
• Good Practice Topic 2: Starting early
• Good Practice Topic 3: Identifying the community
• Good Practice Topic 4: Reaching the whole community
• Good Practice Topic 5: Feeding back and following up with the community
• Good Practice Topic 6: On-going engagement
• Good Practice Topic 7: Repowering, decommissioning, and life extensions

Good Practice Topic 1: Community engagement plan

A community engagement plan will usually be drafted by the developer at the outset of the project. The plan should include engagement activities related to the development of the project.

A good community engagement plan will evolve and develop, both over time as the project moves through its different phases and in response to the engagement itself.

At the outset it should, as a minimum, outline: 

1. The purposes of specific engagement activities

These are likely to evolve throughout the engagement and include: letting people know about the development plans; helping people to understand the development plans; getting people’s input into the development plans; getting input from those in the community who are less likely to engage; and maintaining productive relationships between all stakeholders throughout the lifetime of the project.

2. The key stakeholders to be engaged

The community engagement plan should identify key stakeholder groups to be engaged and what their engagement needs and preferences are likely to be (see Good Practice Topic 3. It should identify who are likely to need extra support and bespoke opportunities to engage due to health, access, language, and other factors. It should differentiate between statutory consultees and the wider community and seek to establish clear contacts within the community via some form of liaison or contact group.

3. The engagement techniques that will be used

The plan should outline the range of engagement techniques that will be employed to meet the needs of different stakeholder groups (see Good Practice Topic 4). Engagement techniques should also be appropriate to the outcome sought, whether it involves informing, consulting, or involving the local community. Effective consultation should identify how, and on what, people can influence the final outcome. 

4. The timetable for engagement

The timetable should provide transparency about what is happening and when, including basic milestones for the project and key target dates. The timeline should ensure that sufficient time is allowed for feedback and be kept up to date. It should also include details of when key pieces of information will become available throughout the process.

5. How engagement will be monitored and responded to

The community engagement plan should ensure steps are in place to review the results, to identify gaps and inform actions to widen the process and ensure the views of people from across the broad spectrum of the community are heard. It should be updated and then publicised if things change, so the community can keep up with developments.

In developing and using the community engagement plan, good practice includes:  

A. Consulting the community on the engagement plan

We have found it really valuable to share our plans for consulting before we go out and do it. The community have really appreciated it as well. We’ve just asked for feedback about how we can reach all of the community. What we want is as much feedback as possible as we’re going through the design process. Consulting the community representatives has helped to identify new ideas.

(Developer)

A good engagement plan will be built on local knowledge. Sharing the plan with community representatives for feedback and input at the outset can help to improve the plan, ensure community buy in and build trust.

B. Keeping the engagement plan responsive to feedback

Feedback was really clear after our first exhibition. There were three things that people were constantly raising: ecology, shared ownership and broadband. So then at our next exhibitions we had our specialist there to talk in detail about ecology or broadband or shared ownership. That worked really well, it responded to what people really wanted to talk about.

(Developer)

The engagement plan needs to be flexible and remain responsive. Adapting the plan to provide bespoke information about local concerns is important.

Good Practice Topic 2: Starting early

Starting the community engagement process as early as possible is likely to be beneficial to all stakeholders:

The earlier you start that, the more trust that you create early on, the more chances you’ve got of things running well into the future.

(Community representative)

I think there is sometimes some frustration from communities that they can’t really change things and they can’t get involved but the pre-application process and that early engagement [makes] it better because there’s still some scope for the developer to amend the proposals before they’re finalised. So it’s really important to involve people from quite an early stage.

(Local authority representative)

There is no substitute for time spent, getting to know people, getting to know an area and speaking to people directly. You can get a lot of information through statistics and available data, but actually getting in there and quantifying it by speaking to people, is important.

(Developer)

Early engagement is important because:

• It is important to be transparent – communities have the right to know when a new development is being considered in their area.
• Having undertaken preliminary research, it allows developers to get a holistic, first-hand understanding of a community.
• It enables communities to raise concerns, for early dialogue to commence, and allows any potential misconceptions to be addressed.
• It means the community can begin to understand the details of the project and the different phases of development.
• It can help to build trust, as communities understand how and when they can expect to be engaged in the development process.

Early-stage engagement in practice

In practice, initial engagement is likely to be best done in person and focussed on sharing plans and getting to know the community. This includes:

• Identifying who needs to be engaged and the most appropriate forms of engagement.
• Understanding the challenges and the benefits a wind project could bring to the area.
• Identifying local issues that the developer needs to take into account.

Good practice means going-about these steps in a way that demonstrates integrity and shows genuine interest, respect, and sensitivity towards local communities:

I think developers are quite adept at not being particularly discerning about communities. We sometimes hear ‘You’ve seen one community you’ve seen them all’. No. I think that’s fool-hardy. It’s about really doing your homework, understanding the geography of that community. It’s important that they [the developer] find a way to build rapport based on having a genuine interest rather than it just being a place they’ve got to get consent.

(Community Representative).

Sometimes it might not be possible or even appropriate (for instance, if a development is not 100% certain to go ahead) to conduct full community engagement in the first instance. However, it can be helpful to consider the following groups as part of early engagement:

• Residents living close to the proposed windfarm location.
• Local authorities and parish councils.
• Political stakeholders, MPs, councillors.
• Local social and community organisations; such as community trusts, social enterprises, organisations with an interest in economic regeneration or local clubs and sports teams.
• Local businesses.

Good Practice Topic 3: Identifying the community

Who are the community?

Identifying who constitutes the ‘local’ community is essential for clarifying who needs to be engaged in the development process.

However, all communities are different and therefore the local community will need to be determined on a case-by-case basis.

There will often be a need to be flexible in defining the local community:

You’re always up against the challenge that people don’t define their lives by parish council boundaries so whilst I might be in parish council X my kids might go to school in parish council Y. So I think there’s an argument for being a bit more fluid about thinking about how community is defined.

(Community Representative)

Key factors to take into account include:

1. How local people describe the make-up and boundaries of their communities.

2. The proximity to the windfarm site of where people live or work.

3. The area of visual impact.

I think the visual intrusion maps that are in the environmental statements are a good starting point, because they show the area that’s going to be impacted.

(Community Representative)

4. The likely impacts of the construction: for example, disturbances such as increased traffic and the impacts of site infrastructure such as pylons.

5. The impact on groups within the community who have a particular interest in the area, for example for recreational or conservation reasons.

6. Local administrative and political boundaries for example parish boundaries.

In identifying the community, it is also important to remember that:

• Virtually all communities will consist of a range of different groups of people with different needs and priorities, all of whose opinions need to be considered.
• In practice, communities are likely to straddle local geographically defined administrative units such as parish boundaries.
• That no one particular parish council or community group is likely to be representative of the full range of local opinion.

Good Practice Topic 4: Reaching the whole community

Reaching the whole community requires considering the needs of different and often disparate groups and tailoring a range of different engagement techniques to reach them.

You want to try and design a process so that you engage with old people, young people, people who have got this viewpoint, people who are not so engaged. So that is a combination of traditional methods, face-to-face consultation events, working together with community councils, attending their events; working together with key people from the local authorities at having public events which are open to anyone.

(Developer)

Good practice for developers will therefore require particular attention to:

1. Identifying the differing communication needs and priorities of community members.

2. Ensuring that engagement methods are purposeful and correspond to the level and nature of feedback required from community members.

3. Using a range of different engagement methods

4. Establishing new platforms and forums for engagement if they do not exist.

5. Monitoring, understanding, and responding to different levels of engagement across the community.

1. Identifying the differing communication needs and priorities of community members.

Community members are likely to have different communication needs and priorities. For example, some people will be more able and likely to engage online rather than through face-to-face meetings. Others will prefer face-to-face meetings. Some community members are likely to be most able to engage during the evenings. For others it might be weekends or during the weekdays.

Good practice engagement means recognising that community members are different and selecting the most suitable communication channels – email, online platforms, social media, phone, or in-person group meetings. People should be offered a variety of options to communicate and provide their input.

Some groups of people will be more forthcoming and easier to engage than others. Stakeholders who are the most vulnerable and at risk of not being given an opportunity to share their expectations and opinions should be given special attention. This might include, for example, low-income groups, women, children, the elderly, people with disabilities and minority groups.

2. Ensuring that engagement methods are purposeful and correspond to the level and nature of feedback required from community members.

The engagement methods used will also depend on the stage of the process and purpose of the activities. Two examples are provided below: the first for letting people know about the development plans (likely to be at the beginning of the project), and the second for building a deeper understanding about the development plans and facilitating feedback (likely to be in the project development phase).

Example 1: Letting people know about the development plans – this will usually include an invitation to ‘find out more’ at a public briefing event.

Potential methods

• Face-to-face meetings with key stakeholders (e.g. parish councils).
• Door-knocking in the closest or most affected neighbourhoods.
• Press release to local media and advert in local paper.
• Setting up a website with clear contact information, including an opportunity to subscribe to updates or request a phone call or meeting with a representative from the developer.
• Posters on noticeboards, village halls, community venues, post offices, pubs.

Example 2: Building a deeper understanding about the development plans and facilitating feedback.

Potential methods:

• In-person exhibitions and online public briefing events with meeting spaces for private discussions to address individuals’ concerns. Developers should vary the timing to ensure people with different commitments – such as work and family – can attend
• Attendance at community meetings and events to follow-up on key topics
• Parish polls and surveys to give people the chance to express opinions rapidly
• The developer should make it as easy as possible for people to contact them by establishing a range of different communication channels: phone, email, social media, call-me function on website etc.
• Keep website updated with presentations, recordings, and videos from engagement events.

As engagement moves from consultation to involvement, techniques should provide opportunities for discussion and deliberation. So, for example, moving from public meetings to facilitated workshops.

3. Using a range of different engagement methods

Using a variety of communication channels and engagement activities, in particular new innovative digital methods alongside the more traditional methods, is key to ensuring that a multitude of views are reflected and that the outcomes of an engagement process are representative of the local community’s views.

Techniques that can be used include:

• Identifying local community representatives and working through them, and with them. For example, employing local people to gather community views.
• Using traditional methods of engagement, such as surveys, telephone polls, door knocking, and in-person events.
• Using digital methods, such as maintaining a project website, using 3D visualisations and multimedia, hosting webinars, and accessing social media.
• Using community outreach techniques and utilising established channels of communication to engage the community e.g., through local newspapers, magazines, and radio, identifying existing events and groups.
• Providing safe spaces for individuals to discuss and feedback, such as arranging ways for issues to be discussed on a one-to-one basis or establishing anonymous voting arrangements at key meetings; and
• Using independent experts to discuss specific concerns.

Developers exhibiting good practice will:

• Combine physical events with digital communications and engagement methods to reach a broad range of people.
• Where physical or online events happen, record and share the outputs. Use sub-titles and summaries to underline key points.
• Plan events around people’s lifestyle patterns. Consider the timing and location of events and use existing channels or meetings that people already attend.
• Use innovative methods such as visual representations and 3D models, photomontages, site visits or even virtual visualisation headsets to bring the potential development to life.

Going the extra mile to make it real:

Online parish polls and coach trips to see other windfarms, are two examples of how developers can go the extra mile to make the development real for people, to reach beyond and supplement typical, traditional methods of engagement:

Coach trips to see other windfarms:

We offered free coach trips to see windfarms. For some people, it was just a day out. It was just a free coach trip really, they didn’t really care too much about our windfarm development.

But then when one or two letters appeared in the local newspaper saying that windfarms kill birds and stuff like that, some of the people who had been on coach trip wrote into the newspapers and said, no they don’t, we’ve actually been to one and didn’t see any dead birds.

(Developer)

Online Parish Poll:

Parish poll is a good one […] that’s not like being at a public meeting where people tend to put their hand up along with the majority. It gives people the chance to vote… a secret poll really, privately, and so if they want to do different from the majority opinion they’re not identified. In our experience that did produce a very, very big turnout, about 70 or 80%.

(Community Representative).

Visits to windfarms can help to dispel common myths
Image: Thrive Renewables

4. Establishing new platforms and forums for engagement if they do not exist.

In some cases, for instance where there are limited existing communication channels or a need to bring different communities together, it can be beneficial to establish new forums for discussion and platforms for engagement.

For example, developers can play an instrumental role in helping to establish liaison groups:

What we do across a lot of projects we work on is establish a community liaison forum. You would go initially and meet each community council individually, you would present the proposal to them… the round table format is the best way to really get the ball rolling in a sort of unified stance.

(Community engagement specialist)

5. Monitoring, understanding, and responding to different levels of engagement across the community.

The results of engagement need to be clearly recorded and monitored in order to respond to the issues raised and to understand which parts of the community are not engaged.

There may be many reasons why people do not engage. For some it might be a lack of time or indifference, although it is important not to assume that this is always the case. For others it can be because onshore wind is an emotive subject that can sometimes be divisive within the community itself. Understanding why some people aren’t engaging is crucial for understanding how engagement processes can be adapted and improved.

Sometimes people don’t really want to become involved because there might be different views within their group.

(Developer)

Sometimes you may find that there is one very vociferous group that silences others. This could mean that those that are engaged are affluent and those who could really benefit are left out of the conversation. So it is important to find communication channels and events that help you connect with them.

(Developer)

In some communities, particularly those well suited to onshore wind, developers will need to be mindful of consultation fatigue:

People can get involved by attending the public exhibitions, making their representations known to myself, or to the planning authority, or to the wind farm company. The problem is people don’t bother. We’ve had so many, and people say ‘Oh not another wind farm’.

(Community representative).

Community-led engagement

Ambition Lawrence Weston (ALW), a community group based around a post-war housing estate on the Bristol Channel, undertook a door-knocking campaign to find out peoples’ views on what was good and not so good about their neighbourhood. The residents’ development plan that emerged from this process focused on local economic regeneration.

Renewable energy and climate change were not on the agenda, but finance was required to deliver the plan, and this is when the ambitious idea to develop a community owned wind turbine began to take root and Ambition Community Energy (ACE) came into being.

Image: Ambition Community Energy (ACE) team visit the site of their proposed community windfarm.

ACE have worked closely with residents to secure support for their windfarm. They approached people in person at community events, neighbourhood forums and business breakfasts. They ran stalls where they also offered advice about energy efficiency and saving money on energy bills. At these events, community members could ask questions, discuss their concerns, and express their views about the project. ALW also distributed the questionnaire via a door knocking campaign and as an insert to a local magazine delivered to 3,500 households.

In total, they engaged with 815 people. Out of 183 survey responses collected at face-to-face events, 96% expressed support for renewable energy and for wind turbines in their area. Out of 530 survey responses from the door knocking campaign, 68% of residents expressed support and 26% said they weren’t sure.

Good Practice Topic 5: Feeding back and following up with the community.

Feeding back to the community

Once feedback from the community has been gathered, developers should demonstrate how feedback is being used to develop and influence the project.

It is therefore important for developers to share findings and any resulting changes. Several rounds of feedback may be required in order to refine any changes:

We would say, ‘This is what people in your area have told us.’, so there’s real transparency […] that’s what people are talking about and so by acknowledging that we know that we can then start to answer and address that conversation.

(Developer)

Continuous feedback throughout the engagement process via a project website, community newsletters, and social media can help ensure communities know their views are being heard and carefully considered. Feedback should not be limited to the Statement of Community Involvement, or Pre-Application Consultation Report, submitted as part of a planning application.

Feedback on issues that have not been addressed and why is as important, if not more important, than issues where feedback has been taken onboard. Acknowledging what is not possible and why can help to build trust, even if it is not what local people want to hear.

Good Practice Topic 6: On-going engagement

Community engagement does not end once planning permission has been granted

Maintaining a positive relationship with the community through a project’s operational lifetime requires continued engagement. Engagement should not just be left to the process of developing the project:

You still need to have meetings to update the community, to tell them how it’s going, and keep them as involved as possible.

(Developer)

Construction phase

As procedures are put in place to enable the smooth construction of the windfarm, the level of community engagement often needs to increase.

Careful management and consultation on the timings, approach routes, and expected duration of construction activity is vital to ensure that the impact on the community is minimised. Information about potential road closures, disruption or delays should be given to the local residents in advance of construction commencing  along with details of who to contact if there are any issues.

I thought it was a very, very good thing that during construction they [developer] had these liaison groups and I would recommend that for every community across the UK that when it comes to getting the thing built, have open channels of communication […] So it’s courtesy to keep your neighbours informed that’s how I look upon it and they certainly do.

(Community representative)

The on-going relationship

It is important that developers or operators of onshore wind farms maintain and make available a consistent, single point of contact. It is important for the community to feel that they can talk about the wind farm to the relevant person, and in a timely manner. This may be because they have noticed a problem or simply because they would like access to the site and want to know who to ask.

Developers who maintain and make available a single and responsive point of contact for the on-going relationship tend to have better relationships with the local community:  

One thing we’ve done is make sure that we’ve got one contact point with the company and that’s been really a very useful thing to do so the community know that there’s someone in [the organisation] – it doesn’t matter whether their question is related to the operations or a problem at the site, or the fund – [they feel] that it’s not a big company with lots of different doors.

(Developer)

Change of ownership

Good practices in community engagement will remain relevant regardless of the ownership.

Where there is a change in ownership, additional community engagement will be required to build new relationships. As in early engagement, best practice uses a mixture of methods – from face-to-face engagement to publicising changes on digital platforms – in order to refresh relationships and ensure new owners or operators of the wind farm are made familiar with the local community, and vice versa.

Changes to the project

Throughout the lifetime of the project, a developer may consider expanding the windfarm. Generally, this will mean increasing the footprint of the site and number of turbines.

A developer may also consider ‘repowering’ a wind farm which, conversely, often means decreasing the footprint of the site, and replacing older turbines with fewer but more efficient models.

Good practice community engagement for the extension of windfarms and repowering may vary in form (due to an already established relationship with the community) but should follow the main principles outlined for engagement at the beginning of a project.

Good Practice Topic 7: Repowering, decommissioning and life extensions

Initial project life

Onshore wind planning consents will generally be at least 25-30 years, reflecting the expected operational lifetime of the site. However, there can be changes to the nature of the wind farm across its lifetime (such as repowering or site extension), or the lifetime can be extended itself. These changes can happen at any stage in the life of a project.

In these instances, it is important that the developers are transparent with their intentions and inform communities as early as possible.

What happens at the end of the project?

Developers have 3 options:

1. Decommissioning – the infrastructure is removed, and the land is returned to its former state. It is usually a requirement of planning to decommission the turbines at the end of their operational life or when they have stopped working for a set period of time and to remove all infrastructure.

2. Repowering – some or all of the existing infrastructure is replaced. In most cases this involves replacing existing turbines with newer, more efficient models. Sometimes this will result in a fewer number of larger turbines with an increased energy output, thereby increasing the overall capacity of the site whilst decreasing site footprint. A new planning application will be required.

3. Lifetime extension – the existing infrastructure continues to be used, and the lifetime of the current project in its current state is extended by 5-10 years, or even more. An application to vary existing consent or a new application will be required.

Good relationships between the community and the developer will help when it comes to deciding what happens when a windfarm’s time runs out. But local support for repowering and extending its life should not be taken for granted.

Early discussions about potential next steps are important to gauge opinion and get people involved. Good engagement can provide an opportunity to address community concerns with the existing site e.g. through changing the site layout.

Case study: good practice in community engagement

Location: Berry Burn windfarm in North-East Scotland
Developer: Statkraft
Installation capacity: 37.8 MW

Image: Public exhibitions in Berry Burn (Statkraft).

A 3-stage engagement process enabled the community to influence plans and proposals at an early stage.

Initial communication and exhibitions

Public exhibitions were advertised on local notice boards, in direct mail-outs, in the local press, via geo-targeted digital adverts, and by notifying elected representatives. These provided information about the operational windfarm, the community benefit fund, the proposed extension, prospective local benefits, and anticipated next steps. Attendees were asked to complete feedback forms to share their views on the proposal.

The developer told local representatives about the development plans and asked for their suggestions on who they should try to reach as part of the consultation process.

A project website provided a way for residents to get in touch with the project team, view or download documents, subscribe for updates, and take part in online surveys. Following feedback from the exhibitions, the developer published a report on the project website which summarised the community feedback to date. It responded to stated views and questions such as ‘We have got enough wind turbines in Moray’ and ‘Who will really benefit from this project?’

Follow up events and workshops

Follow-up events and workshops took place that focused on key topics raised by the community.

The choice of location, timings and contents of these events responded to community feedback from previous events.

At these events, the developer presented a revised proposal for the site. This included information on proposed habitat enhancement, and wildfire restoration and protection.

Online engagement (in response to Covid-19 restrictions)

The developer continued to engage with the community in 2020 despite the restrictions of the pandemic by making information available on the project website and by hosting or joining virtual meetings.

Information on the extension and about initiatives in the local area taken by the developer were presented to the community via videos and newsletters, including the donation of a defibrillator to a visitor centre and a proposal to bring superfast broadband to the area.

At this third stage, the developer committed to implementing environmental protection measures for the proposed extension, including rewetting damaged habitats.

These actions would help the land damaged by a recent wildfire to recover more quickly, minimise the impact of any future wildfires and lead to longer term improvements in the quality of the bog and heathland habitats.

Key aspects of good practice

Engagement followed a planned and well-structured engagement process.

Community representatives and local groups were asked for their advice on who to involve and practical arrangements that make it easier for people to get involved.

The developer held virtual meetings and provided information in a variety of ways on a project website. These included videos, a document library, newsletters, and surveys.

A community liaison group was established to provide a consistent way for the developer to contact and engage with the community.

Feedback was shared with community representatives about what had been learned so far and how this was being used to shape the next steps for engagement and to make changes to the design of the extension.

Acknowledgments

These guidelines have been developed by Centre for Sustainable Energy in partnership with ITPE Energised and SFW communications.

Lead author, Keith Hempshall

Additional contributors: Dan Stone, Megan Blyth, Tess Rushton (CSE); Sophy Fearnley-Whittingstall (SFW communication),Jenny Hazard (ITPE Energised).

The guidelines reflect best practice principles identified through a robust qualitative research process:

• Centre for Sustainable Energy, Community Engagement and Benefits for Onshore Wind in England - Qualitative research on good practice (2021).

As well as previous iterations of this guidance:

• Centre for Sustainable Energy with BDOR and Peter Capener, The Protocol for Public Engagement with Proposed Wind Energy Developments in England (2009)
• REGEN, Community Benefit and Engagement Best Practice guidance for Wind Energy (2014)

And learning from devolved authorities:

• Scottish Government, Shared Ownership of Onshore Renewable Energy Developments (2019)
• Scottish Government, Community benefits from onshore renewable energy developments (2019)