Community Benefit Fund – Our approach

A Community Benefit Fund is a voluntary commitment by a developer to pay into a fund which is then made available to finance community projects. Community benefit funds can offer an opportunity for the local community to access long-term, reliable, and flexible funding to directly enhance their local area, economy, society, and environment.

As part of our commitment to supporting the local community, the Community Benefit Fund would support initiatives that foster educational opportunities and skill development in the local area to boost job opportunities.

This vision aligns with our broader goal of contributing to social and environmental prosperity by providing reliable, long-term funding. The Community Liaison Group, responsible for managing the fund, will ensure that it addresses local needs, thereby promoting educational advancement and opening pathways to employment in sectors related to environmental and climate improvements.

The value of the fund will be based on £1,000 per MW (indexed linked) per year output of the Solar Farm from point of construction. Staveley Solar Farm has a maximum power output of 40MW resulting in an annual community benefit fund of £40,000. The community benefit fund will be available for the operational lifetime of the Solar Farm. The Solar Farm is expected to operate for 30 years. If the Solar Farm operates beyond this, the community benefit fund will be extended in line with the lifetime of the Solar Farm.

The fund will be open to proposals from the community to promote social and environmental prosperity and will prioritise funding in the following areas:

• Climate and Environmental improvements
• Youth Inclusion and Education
• Road Safety
• Cultural Dialogue and Heritage

The Community Liaison Group will have discretion to support projects outside of these areas if the community can demonstrate a significant need.

However, the fund will not support:​

• Organisations that promote any kind of discrimination​
• Religious organisations, trade unions and political parties ​
• Organisations that target or support an individual​
• Partnerships that require money to pay for salaries ​

The Community Benefit Fund will be managed by the Community Liaison Group which consists of a representative from the Operator of the project, a representative from Anglian Water and representatives from the communities local to the site.

The Community Liaison Group have responsibility for agreeing:

• A clearly defined purpose for the fund that correspond to local needs and priorities
• When the fund will begin making payments
• The size and frequency of fund pay-outs
• The payments that will be made and what – if anything – the payments depend upon
• What – if any – obligations the beneficiary has to the fund such as auditing and reporting
• How disputes should be dealt with

The mechanism for administering the benefits will be decided by the Community Liaison Group. The fund’s operation is determined by the beginning of construction of the Staveley Solar Farm.

You can submit any ideas through our project email address (solaruk@totalenergies.com)

For more information on the Community Liaison Group, please visit the page here.

• CBF Charter