Welcome to the Spiorad na Mara community benefit consultation page
The final report for the Spiroad na Mara Consultation is now available. Please head to Latest News to view.
As the renewable energy sector in Scotland scales up and the number of projects harnessing green energy from natural resources of wind, water and sun, is rapidly growing, there is an ongoing need to ensure that the potential benefits that can be delivered, by or through these projects, are maximised for communities across Scotland.
Aquatera Ltd – an Orkney-based company with extensive experience in environmental services and public consultation locally in Scotland and the Western Isles – has been appointed to carry out an independent consultation process on community benefits associated with the proposed Spiorad na Mara offshore wind project, located 5-13km off the west coast of the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides.
The consultation will consist of two strands, as follows:
- West Coast Fund
In August 2024, the partners in the Spiorad na Mara project, Northland Power and ESB, committed to a fund of £4.5m per year – index-linked – for the west coast of the Isle of Lewis (Council Wards 6 and 7, Sgir’ Uige agus Carlabhagh, and An Taobh Siar agus Nis) over the operational life of the project, should it go ahead. As part of this commitment, which followed engagement with the West Side Estate Group over a period of more than two years, it was agreed that an independent consultation exercise would be undertaken to seek input from the west coast communities on the administration, governance and potential uses of this fund.
This part of the consultation process is aimed at those living within Council Wards 6 and 7 .
- Potential wider benefits
In addition to the ringfenced West Coast Fund, a further strand of consultation was committed to, seeking the views of the entire Isle of Lewis community on potential benefits that could be delivered by, or through, the Spiorad na Mara project.
This strand of consultation will be exploratory, testing ideas that have already been mooted through the first phase of public consultation on the Spiorad na Mara project, as well as other ideas and suggestions which could be considered throughout the various phases of the project.
Aquatera will deliver two outcomes from this consultation process: 1. A detailed proposal for managing and administering the West Coast Fund, and 2. A refined list of wider community benefits for further exploration as the project develops.
Have your say
This independent consultation process will run through the month of March, with opportunities for members of the community to have their say in a variety of ways. The outputs of the consultation process will be published in the coming months, once all feedback has been gathered and analysed, and preferences have been identified and distilled.
This consultation process is completely separate from the planning process associated with the Spiorad na Mara project, and views and feedback shared through this process do not affect the rights of individuals or organisations to share views on the project through the statutory consultation processes associated with planning or through the project’s second phase of public consultation, which is due to take place this summer.
Help shape the community’s opportunities
To participate in the consultation, you can fill in our questionnaire online, or on a printed version, which you can find in shops and locations across Lewis – find out more. Once completed, these can either be submitted online or returned to locations, ensuring your views, aspirations, and ideas are reflected and gathered through the consultation process.
We will also be running a series of events in person across Lewis during the second week of March, and online on 19th of March. Find out more about these events on the Events and FAQs page and attend these to meet the Aquatera team and engage with the consultation process.
Get involved
Our priority is to make this consultation as inclusive and accessible as possible, to ensure meaningful engagement, in order to ultimately shape the West Coast Fund and wider potential benefits to meet the needs and aspirations of your communities, and to support delivery of long-term, sustainable socio-economic improvements in these areas. To this end, we are offering various avenues and opportunities to engage with this consultation process.
If you would like to get in touch regarding the consultations, need help filling out the questionnaire or have any suggestions for the consultation process, please contact claudia.sans@aquatera.co.uk.
If you would like to know more about Aquatera, head to https://www.aquatera.co.uk/.
It is important to note that we are consulting on the community benefit elements of the proposed Spiorad na Mara project only, and not the development itself. If you have queries about the development and want to get in touch regarding Spiorad na Mara, please visit www.spioradnamara.co.uk or contact Kathleen Milne on kathleen.milne@northlandpower.com.
spioradnamaracommunity.uk 