Alyth could soon be profiting from the nearby Welton of Creuchies Windfarm, via the 15% stake held by the Airlie Street Hall Development Trust (ASHDT).
ASDHT – established in 2017 as a community benefit fund under the Scottish Government’s Energy Strategy – is holding a public consultation to help decide how best to use the new income from the windfarm. Based on what the community of Alyth says during the consultation, ASHDT will manage and invest the income from its stake in the windfarm to help the community realise its ambitions.
ASHDT has asked Scene, an Edinburgh-based community energy consultancy, to carry out the consultation, and two events have been organised in April so that local people can make their voices heard and raise issues and priorities that the investment plan could tackle.
Both events are scheduled for 22 April, starting with a drop-in session from 2pm to 6pm, followed by a community investment planning workshop from 7pm till 8pm. Both events will be in the Airlie Street Hall. There will also be an online community feedback meeting later on a date to be confirmed.
As well as the events, ASHDT and Scene have also set up an online survey here: https://bit.ly/3wGD5kb where you can contribute your ideas and sign up to be kept informed.
If you’d like to know more about how community benefit funds work and what the good practice principles are, the Scottish Government has published a webpage with much more detail: https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-government-good-practice-principles-community-benefits-onshore-renewable-energy-developments/