UistWind Community Benefit Survey is launched to help determine how profits should be used

UistWind has launched an online Community Benefit Survey, to scope the community’s ideas on how to effectively distribute the community benefit funds generated from the UistWind turbines in the longer term.

Though the community benefit fund will not be generated immediately, it is considered important to have a plan ready for when funds become available in future years – so that investment can be targeted in line with the wishes of the community.

UistWind is a community project by North Uist Development Company (Trading), constructing two 900kW turbines in North Uist, at Criongrabhal near Clachan-na-Luib.

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The project is due to be operational by October, and currently has both turbines in place with one of them fully commissioned and generating power.

It aims to generate more than £2 million over the project’s lifetime of 22 years – with profits going back to the community via NUDC’s charitable activities.

The Community Benefit Survey can be accessed via SurveyMonkey at https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/WVJKMCP and closes on Tuesday, September 10th.

The responses will inform the Community Investment Plan and will include all the results of the survey.

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Dr Ameena Camps, Project Delivery Manager with North Uist Development Company, urged people to take part in the survey.

She said: “So far we have gathered some of your valuable ideas at the North Uist Highland Games and Agricultural Show, as well as the children’s views during our fun filled day at Sgoil Uibhist a Tuath, but we need as much input as possible to create your Community Investment Plan.”

The survey is anonymous and asks for identification only by postcode and age group.

It asks how people would like NUDC to administer the funds, to rank what they most like about living in Uist and what they would most like to improve.

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Suggested areas for improvement include business support, career/job opportunities, care and support, entertainment/activities, housing, learning opportunities/education and transport.

There is also an option for people to select ‘other’ and put forward a suggestion of their own.

The survey asks what people would like the Community Benefit Fund to be spent on and respondents are also asked how funding should be prioritised – by location/distance from the turbines, by the biggest positive impact on the population/economy/wellbeing or by cost.

UistWind has stressed that, due to the financial structure of the project, returns will be minimal for the first few years but will accelerate further into the project.

The Community Investment Plan will be updated in future years and will be made available on the UistWind website, www.uistwind.com.