Your voice matters
Read on to find out how local voices have helped us shape our proposals for Glen Water Wind Farm.
£8.6 million
Community fund over project lifetime.
1% free equity
Community ownership offer.
£1M/MW
Being spent in the local area as part of our OnPath Together published targets.
£500 bursaries
We commit to at least ten OnPath education bursaries for every project.
A fresh approach
As part of our OnPath Together development approach, our team have been busy working with the local people, community bodies and consultants to identify local priorities and create a project that is more than a wind farm.
Early engagement
Our team met with the Nine Community Councils Group (9CC Group), who represent communities across the Cumnock & Doon Valley to ensure that you get the most from Glen Water’s annual community benefit fund, which could total around £8.6 million over 40 years.
A fresh approach to consultation
We’ve now hosted six community consultation events across the three hosting community council areas of New Cumnock, Netherthird, Lugar, Logan and Cronberry.
A digital approach
We received over 350 responses to our community survey which was advertised on social media including 829 pieces of written feedback.
Your voice matters
Benefiting your community
Community feedback has played a central role in shaping Glen Water Wind Farm proposals. Through early engagement and a blend of in person and digital consultations, local people made clear that the project should deliver tangible benefits, celebrate history and heritage, support the local economy and place nature at the heart of the design. In response, Glen Water has evolved through an iterative design process, ensuring that the final proposals reflect what communities told us mattered most.
One of the most visible outcomes of this feedback is a refined wind farm design. The number of turbines has been reduced from eight to six, turbine heights have been lowered, and the layout has been adjusted. These changes directly address concerns around landscape and visual impact, while enabling the project to deliver clean, renewable energy helping tackle climate change and support the transition to net zero.
Feedback also highlighted strong priorities around affordable energy, biodiversity and access to the land. As a result, the proposals now include practical interventions such as a decarbonisation pilot to help lower household energy costs*, habitat restoration, peatland protection and enhanced access including 15km of new pathways and 12km of nature and heritage trails ensuring that Glen Water delivers lasting benefits for both people and planet.
Finally, local people were clear that Glen Water should contribute meaningfully to East Ayrshire’s economy. The proposals place a strong emphasis on local employment, using local suppliers in line with our OnPath Together developer approach supporting local communities with investment, jobs and skills.
What you said, what we propose
We carried out a survey reaching over 4,500 people, out of all the responses:
42% surveyed wanted an accessible place to visit
We propose: Glen Water Wind Farm will be the key part in the jigsaw puzzle that will unlock the access to surrounding pathways. This will align with Ayrshire Core Path Plan ambitions.
47% said you wanted to see enhancement, restoring nature and habitats
We propose: As part of the masterplan we will be regenerating heathland, protecting peat bog habitat creating nature trails and an outdoor classroom for schools, colleges, and universities to visit.
59% mentioned access to affordable energy
We propose: Glen Water Wind Farm will create a pilot decarbonisation project for local properties within a 2km radius of the turbines. This initiative will enable eligible households to receive professional energy surveys and tailored installations – reducing their energy costs and lowering their carbon footprint.
The pilot initiative will be new and additional to the standard community benefit offer of around £8.6 million over the lifetime of the development.
47% across three consultations said they want jobs and skills to allow families to stay and work in East Ayrshire
We propose: We will create a decarbonisation project aligning with the 9CC Group, tackling skills shortages through meaningful apprenticeships and the Community Renewable Energy Project (CoRE) funded by the Ayrshire Growth deal.
63% said they have strong pride in history and heritage of the area
We propose: We will lead a collaboration with the three local primary schools and The Heritage Centre to bring the history and heritage of the mining industry to life on the site.
A heritage trail with information boards creating a narrative on the site to walk you through the decades of history with stories written by the students, advised by The Heritage Centre, on a journey from traditional mining to renewable energy.
Your voice matters
Creating a better way together
To celebrate the site’s history as a former open-cast mine, we reached out to the three hosting Community Council primary schools to take part in an exciting site naming competition.
We received a lot of positive engagement, and some great names which were shortlisted and put to a public vote on our social media channels.
Glen Water Wind Farm was the chosen name and if approved will become the official name of the site for years to come!
Why the children of Netherthird chose ‘Glen Water‘
“We learned that in Scotland a Glen is a narrow valley. There are lots of local places that have Glen in their name, like Glenafton, Glenburn and Glenmuir so we thought this would be a good one. We also thought that the wind farm would be near water, so Glen Water was a good choice.”