The residents of Lawrence Weston housing estate, on the outskirts of Bristol, southwest England, are the proud owners of the country’s tallest wind turbine. In fact – amid a decade-long, de facto ban on onshore wind power – theirs was the only turbine commissioned on English soil in 2023.
That’s not because they’re passionate green activists – far from it, says Mark Pepper, a resident and the co-founder of Ambition Lawrence Weston, a grassroots organisation created in 2012 to improve the local area. The 150-metre tall, 4.2 megawatt turbine is less about the climate emergency and more about the “social injustice emergency,” he says.
Lawrence Weston has faced historically high levels of deprivation, with many local services closing in recent years. So, when a company approached them about building a solar farm nearby, residents wanted to ensure any development also benefited them, and ultimately secured a profit-share arrangement. “That’s what lit the switch,” says Pepper, speaking on the Pollinators podcast. Then, in 2015, residents proposed a wind turbine as a way to bring in investment.
Following seven years of work to raise finance and comply with planning requirements, the turbine was commissioned in March 2023, and now generates enough energy to power more than 3,000 homes. Since it’s 100% owned and managed by Ambition Lawrence Weston’s subsidiary, Ambition Community Energy CIC, all revenue goes back into the community (a power purchase agreement with OVO Energy offers above-market prices for the electricity generated, as part of the firm’s efforts to support community energy). It’s expected to bring in at least £100,000 a year for local needs, such as supporting people living in fuel poverty.
While climate action was not the initial driver, Pepper has said he hopes the project will make residents more aware of the crisis, and the solutions available. Other projects run by Ambition Lawrence Weston also yield environmental benefits, such as the ‘Grow, Cook and Eat’ initiative, which addresses food waste and carbon emissions while promoting new skills, healthy eating and connection with nature.
All these projects have another important upside, Pepper says: changing the mindset of residents, who in the past would have described their estate as “a bit shit”.
“That’s the other objective that we set out to deliver when we first started,” he says. “It’s that pride of place.”
Doubling capacity
The Lawrence Weston wind turbine was financed by renewable energy investor Thrive Renewables, which provided £4 million, along with the Bristol city council and the West of England Combined Authority.
The community hasn’t seen significant income just yet: so far, it’s building up reserves for maintenance and other costs. Pepper acknowledges that the financing side of things has been challenging, as costs have risen significantly since the financial model was first developed.
Meanwhile, the UK’s Labour government, which took power in July, has already lifted the ban on onshore wind and pledged to double capacity by 2030 – which would mean building another 9,000 turbines.
Ambition Lawrence Weston has had plenty of interest from around the country. Pepper’s advice to those looking to do something similar is simple: “Just ask people what they want.” His group started out by training some residents to knock on every door of the estate to gather feedback on what they liked and didn’t like about the area. A survey will be repeated every three years, he says, and decisions about where to spend future income will depend on residents’ wishes.
He also emphasises the need to borrow skills and expertise from elsewhere. Above all, ensure your neighbours also have the chance to take the lead, he says. “Find out what their passions and interests are, and enable them to deliver the work.”
