Tabley Hill Solar Farm
Community Benefits
As part of the plans for Tabley Hill Solar Farm, a Community Benefit Fund would be provided to support local projects and initiatives.
This would generate around £8,000 per year throughout the lifetime of the solar farm (expected to be around 40 years), totalling approximately £320,000 and helping to deliver lasting benefits for the local community.
Alongside this, Aukera works with communities surrounding its renewable energy projects to support local initiatives and provide wider community benefits throughout the development and delivery of its schemes.
We want to hear your views on how this funding could be used locally, as well as any other ways Aukera could get involved in supporting the community. Please share your ideas by completing the survey page.
What is a Community Benefit Fund?
A Community Benefit Fund is a pot of money linked to the solar farm that supports local projects and initiatives.
It is designed to ensure the scheme delivers lasting value for the local area, alongside generating clean electricity that is fed into the national grid.
The fund would be available to support projects that benefit the local community. This could include community groups, charities and local organisations, with funding focused on local priorities.
The approach to managing and allocating the fund will be developed with input from elected members, local stakeholders and the community, to ensure it reflects what matters most to the area.
Community Benefit Funds are a well-established feature of renewable energy projects and can support a wide range of initiatives, such as improvements to community facilities, environmental projects, and activities that support health and wellbeing.
Aukera in the Community
Alongside delivering renewable energy projects, Aukera works with communities surrounding its schemes to support local initiatives and deliver wider benefits beyond clean electricity generation.
Examples include Ayrshire, where Aukera worked with a local Men’s Shed group by donating surplus pallets from project construction activity. The materials were reused by the group to support its work promoting mental health and wellbeing through repairs, woodworking and creating facilities and equipment for the local community.
Aukera has also supported a charity fundraising event in Shropshire linked to one of its solar projects, which raised over £8,000 to help local churches carry out repairs and maintain buildings that continue to play an important role in community life.
Alongside funding, Aukera also works directly with communities during project delivery through community liaison groups and site visits, helping keep local people informed and involved as projects progress.
At Tabley Hill Solar Farm, the Community Benefit Fund would build on this approach, creating an opportunity for local people to help shape how funding supports priorities in the local area.