Social Value Charter to Ensure Communities Get Fair Share

22nd May 2025

The work underway to ensure that Highland communities can benefit from profits being generated by renewable developments will be under the spotlight at next week's meeting of the Economy and Infrastructure Committee.

At the meeting on Thursday 29 May, Members will receive an update on progress with the Highland Social Value Charter, which aims to ensure that if developments get the go ahead there is a clear community benefit. Members will also be asked to agree to continue to make representations to both the Scottish and UK Governments on the need for mandatory community benefit.

The Chair of the Committee, Councillor Ken Gowans has written formally to Scottish Renewables seeking their immediate engagement with the Social Value Charter.

He said: "Once they have planning permission, developers are not obliged to follow through on providing community benefit. As a result, companies can make empty promises and let down our communities. This has to change.

"Given the scale of the on-shore and off shore energy pipeline being anticipated in the Highlands and the concerns of communities about potential impacts of these plans, it is important that public and private sector partners work together, so our communities can benefit for years to come."

Councillor Gowans added: "Engagement with Scottish and Southern Energy Transmission to sign up to the Charter is underway and we will be pressing ahead to finalise the commitment from them and other developers to fully support the Charter. I look forward to discussing the Charter in more detail as part of the Committee next Thursday."

The Highland Social Value Charter (HSVC) was agreed by the Council and Community Planning Partnership Board in June 2024. The Charter articulates the expectations of the Highland area for any renewables and green energy developments. Included within this are fundamental principles that all communities across Highland should benefit from renewables investment and that in addition to direct benefit to local areas, support to wider infrastructure should form part of the ask on developers.

The Social Value Charter is separate to any planning process, which remains entirely discrete.

The purpose of the Charter is to ensure that if a particular development is approved either by Highland Council or by Scottish Government, there are tangible benefits for communities.

The aims of the Charter are to:

embed an approach to community wealth building into Highland;
maximise economic benefits from our natural environment and resources;
engage and involve relevant stakeholders to understand how we can continually improve our impact; and
unlock economic opportunities for area