Wind farm operator offers significant cash investment to Banff and Buchan area
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Banff and Buchan councillors will be asked next week to approve a commercial partnership which could see considerable financial investment in two north-east towns.
Ocean Winds UK Ltd (Moray East) have formally intimated that the would like to invest significant amounts of community benefits funding into the Banff and Buchan area through a direct arrangement with Aberdeenshire Council.
Banff and Buchan Area Committee members will be asked to accept this offer under the Council’s Policy and Procedures on Commercial Sponsorship and Partnership.
In a report before the committee it was explained that: "Given the nature of the arrangements and significance for the region the Chief Officer has declined to use their delegation and instead referred the matter to the Area Committee."
The Committee is being recommended to work with Moray East towards the acceptance of the community benefits and agree to set up a ringfenced budget in which to receive and hold these protected funds.
The report also states that the first round of allocated funds are: "anticipated to be £100,000, which will support activities directly related to Fraserburgh Beach Masterplan and that future funds are targeted at local projects that support Regeneration, Community and Locality Planning Priorities in the Banff and Buchan Area."
Ocean Winds UK Ltd operate the Moray East offshore windfarm located approximately 22 miles from the Banff and Buchan coast in the Moray Firth.
The windfarm is serviced from a purpose-built Operations and Maintenance Hub in Fraserburgh Harbour which provides a commitment to the local and regional economy that is expected to
last for at least the next 30 years.
As with all offshore and onshore windfarms, their operation generates funding, “community benefits”, that can be invested in local communities and projects.
Moray East approached the Banff & Buchan Area Manager with a proposal to invest some of their community benefits in the Banff and Buchan area with an initial focus on Fraserburgh and the surrounding communities through a direct financial contribution to the Council.
Discussion has taken place around the company’s desire to support projects that flow from the Fraserburgh Beach Vision & Masterplan work that is currently underway.
The Masterplan is due to be completed later this year and will identify a pipeline of short, medium, and longer-term interventions to improve this area and the contribution it makes to the local economy as well as health and wellbeing outcomes in Fraserburgh.
In accepting private sponsorship, the Council has stressed: "It must be transparent and clear that doing so does not lead to expectations of favourable treatment in respect of the handling of other services or requests that may come in by or for the sponsor.
"Given the nature of the sponsor company in this case, it is likely that current and future planning applications may need to be determined by the planning authority and that the decision on these cannot be influenced by the receipt of sponsorship."
