NnG (East Lammermuir) Community Fund

About this fund

The Neart na Gaoithe (NnG) Community Fund (East Lammermuir) will be proactively distributed by East Lammermuir Community Council on activities to achieve priorities laid out in the area's Local Place Plan (LPP) 2024-2034. 

For the first three years (2025-2028) an annual amount of £183,600 (rising in line with inflation) for the East Lammermuir area is donated by NnG, a joint venture between EDF power solutions UK and ESB, which owns the NnG offshore wind farm. The Fund is expected to last for 25 years, the anticipated initial lifetime of the wind farm.

Please note: The Fund for East Lammermuir is part of the wider Neart na Gaoithe (NnG) Community Fund which began in late 2025. Over the first 3 years, the wider NnG Community Fund will also be supporting charitable activity benefiting five Community Council areas along the Fife coast (Elie and Royal Burgh of Earlsferry; St. Monans, Abercrombie & District; Royal Burgh of Pittenweem and District; Royal Burghs of Kilrenny, Anstruther and of Cellardyke; and Royal Burgh of Crail and District), and five Community Council areas along the Berwickshire coast (Cockburnspath & Cove, Coldingham, St Abbs, Eyemouth and Burnmouth).    The amounts available in each area have been apportioned based on recognising communities most impacted during construction, as well as those affected by ongoing operations (such as from the impacts on marine navigation and visually). 68% (£183,600 in year 1) will be for the East Lammermuir community, 20% (£54,000) for the five Fife communities listed above, and the remaining 12% (£32,400) for the five East Berwickshire communities. The Fund's overall area of benefit, percentage allocations between areas, and Fund arrangements will be reviewed in 2028.

Purpose of this fund

Working in partnership with others, East Lammermuir’s  Community Council will be proactively spending its share of the NnG community benefit funding on activities to achieve priorities laid out in its Local Place Plan (LPP) 2024-2034. In years 1-3 (2025-2028) this will include: 

1. Improving household energy efficiency:  Bringing all properties within one kilometre of construction works, haul roads or access routes on public roads in East Lammermuir up to a minimum of EPC band C, with any appropriate micro renewables included.
2. Developing an Active Travel (Path) Network:  Planning, designing and building a useable, effective Active Travel Network of segregated paths in and around East Lammermuir – to include at least one safe crossing over or under the A1 and mainline railway towards the coast and Dunbar.
3. Improving community transport links:  Re-introducing a public or community transport service to link the East Lammermuir villages with Cockburnspath and Dunbar.
4. Improving the area's biodiversity:  Devising, agreeing and implementing an ambitious biodiversity gain plan, including harnessing maximum use of developer support for local volunteers and other relevant aspects of the plan. 

The wider East Lothian and Berwickshire areas will also benefit from many of these activities (such as biodiversity, active travel and transport developments), as the impact will not be contained to East Lammermuir Community Council boundaries. 

Who can apply?

Any groups interested in working to help shape, and contribute to, implementation plans to achieve the goals above should contact East Lammermuir Community Council in the first instance to discuss their ideas. To do this please contact info@elcc.scot Alongside this East Lammermuir Community Council may also commission activity in line with the goals or invite organisations directly to discuss opportunities for collaboration.  

Groups or organisations do not have to be based in East Lammermuir itself, but their work must be focused on these priorities and cover the East Lammermuir area.

To apply please click on the link below.  

What can’t be funded?

In addition to activities falling outside the Fund Purposes above, groups/activities within Foundation Scotland's list of standard exclusions will not be supported. 

How are decisions made?

Allocations are being decided by a local Panel, made up of the Directors of East Lammermuir Community Benefits Fund Ltd and participants from each of the four Community Priority Workshops held in the autumn / winter of 2025/26 (which focused on the four community priority themes from the LPP (Energy Efficiency, Active Travel, Biodiversity and Community Transport). 

In parallel, Foundation Scotland and East Lammermuir Community Council are working closely with East Lothian Community Benefits SCIO (ELCB) to shape how NNG funding may be determined in future years to benefit a wider agenda across the whole of East Lothian.