In late 2010, wind developers West Coast Energy approached HDT after hearing from Fintry Development Trust of our desire to become involved in renewable energy generation. At the time, WCE were seeking to develop a ten turbine wind farm at Cairnborrow, Glass, just outside Huntly.
Over the next few years HDT and WCE worked together to develop a ground-breaking community partnership agreement to ensure that the local community would benefit from the development, should it receive planning consent. After initial planning refusal of the ten turbine proposal, a revised scheme of four turbines was consented in 2014. Permission for erection of a fifth turbine was subsequently granted in 2015 allowing the current scheme to be erected and commission in 2016.
The agreement between Cairnborrow Wind Energy Ltd and HDT states that HDT will receive an annual community benefit payment based on the higher of £5,000/MW installed or a 10% share of the scheme’s annual profits. Over the lifetime of the project the fund is expected to be worth a total of ca £3,000,000 to the area. HDT will manage and invest 75% of the funds for the benefit of the wider AB54 area. The other 25% of the funding is reserved for the civil parishes of Cairnie and Glass, i.e. those nearest the wind farm. Representatives of the Cairnie and Glass communities have joined together to create and manage the Cairnie Glass Community Trust to manage a fund which supports a variety of local initiatives.
More information on the fund can be accessed at https://www.cairnieglasscommunitytrust.org/
