Onshore renewable energy - refreshing the good practice principles for community benefits: working paper

Next Steps

The proposals set out in this document are intended to strengthen the Good Practice Principles by setting ambitious new fund level recommendations; making clear how different types of developments should provide community benefits; and improving our guidance, tools and support to help communities get the most out of community benefit funds.

We have published these proposals to seek feedback from all those with an interest in community benefits. This feedback will be essential to making sure the final updated Good Practice Principles reflect the priorities and experience of communities, energy developers, and other groups in the community benefits landscape.

You can submit your views directly through our online Dialogue platform, which is intended to be a quick and straightforward way to give your feedback. Scottish Government officials will hold a series of discussion events with stakeholders across regions of Scotland. Ministers will also hold discussions with community groups and developers.

We will then refine the proposals in this paper and develop the final updated Good Practice Principles. We will carefully consider your feedback as part of this, so that the Good Practice Principles are as effective as possible in securing benefits for communities in every part of Scotland.

We are also continuing to engage with the UK Government as they develop their policy on how community benefits could be mandated across GB. As part of this, we will feed back the views gathered on this working paper, and press the UK Government to take these into account in the development of any GB-wide scheme so that it works for the people of Scotland.

With your input, we can make sure the updated Good Practice Principles support clear, lasting community benefits for years to come.