Community Consultation opens for the Morecambe Offshore Windfarm Community Benefit Fund
4 March 2026
Morecambe Offshore Windfarm is today launching a public consultation on its proposed Community Benefit Fund (CBF), and we are inviting residents, community groups and stakeholders to share their views.
This consultation marks the first step in developing a long-term programme of investment designed to ensure that local communities benefit directly from the project.
Located approximately 30km off the Lancashire coast in the Eastern Irish Sea, the Morecambe project will contribute clean energy to the UK. Alongside this, through the Community Benefit Fund, the project is committed to supporting initiatives that reflect local priorities, strengthen community assets, and deliver meaningful social, educational, environmental, and economic benefits.
GrantScape, an experienced national grant-making charity, has been appointed to independently lead the full community consultation process. During 2026, GrantScape will gather views from local residents, organisations and key stakeholders to inform how the CBF is structured, prioritised and delivered.
Two key funding streams
As part of its commitment to delivering positive and lasting impact, the Morecambe project will establish a CBF comprising two key elements:
Substation Community Benefit Fund (Substation CBF)
Up to £530,000 will be made available during the project’s construction phase. The Substation CBF is expected to open for applications in 2027 at the earliest (subject to the project’s construction programme) and will support communities within a defined radius of the onshore substation located near Newton-with-Scales, Kirkham and Freckleton.
Annual Community Benefit Fund (Annual CBF)
An annual Community Benefit Fund of up to £200,000 will be available each year of the wind farm’s operation. This fund will be open to applications for projects across a large area of Fylde and Blackpool, and parts of Preston and South Ribble. The Annual CBF area will include communities within the Onshore Substation Fund radius. It is expected that the wider fund will open for applications once the project is operational. As set out in our application for development consent, the Morecambe project is expected to be fully operational in 2030 at the earliest.
Have your say
The consultation is now open, starting with an online survey which is open until 22 May 2026. To take part in the consultation and for more information, please visit the following link on GrantScape’s website www.grantscape.org.uk/fund/mowcbf-public-consultation