Senior politicians attending the British Irish Council say community engagement is essential to win support for onshore windfarm projects.

There has been vocal opposition in the south of the island to plans to erect five wind turbines at Earystane and Scard.

At the post-summit press conference, delegates were asked how the need to meet climate change targets can be balanced with the geniuine concerns that smaller communities may have.

Jeremy Miles, Welsh government Labour Senedd member, said: ‘Wales has hosted some of the earliest offshore developments in the UK.

‘We actually want to build on that because we think it's a very important contributor to meeting our climate goals.

‘But it's really important that we are able to explain and persuade people of the value which developments of this sort have not just for the population generally but for the communities that are sometimes nearest them.

‘The task is to make sure that the economic benefits are felt in those communities as well, which is why that focus on connecting what are in some ways global opportunities, on the one hand, to the lives and the prospects of communities who are near to the developments, is so important.

‘There are lots of ways of doing that. We have set up a public renewable energy developer in Wales, which will work with the Welsh Government's public estate, and be able to reinvest that income in local communities so that they feel a direct connection.

’But there are other ways as well to make sure local people have the right skills, so they can participate in the job opportunities, that businesses have the ability to support those developments through the supply chain.’

Irish Taoiseach Simon Harris said: ‘Where that engagement takes place in a real and meaningful way, the outcome tends to be better, better for the community and indeed better for those hoping the development will take place.

‘Certainly in Ireland, that idea of a Community Dividend, and indeed resources, financial resources, that are provided by the company carrying out the development and then ring fenced to spend in the community can often help as well.

‘But it is a balance. And it is about really meaningful engagement.’

UK Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Chris Heaton-Harris said: ‘In my former constituency there were two massive solar farm plans - one with a developer not too engaged with the local community, not explaining the benefits, which didn't go through, and one with a developer that was very proactive, which went through with letters of support from the local community.’

Scottish First Minister John Swinney said: ‘There’s is a huge necessity to have a proper discussion about the challenge we all face, and for that understanding about the climate emergency to be deeply understood by members of the public.

‘If people feel things have been done to them it's not going to be a great start to the process. So understanding community concerns, addressing them and engaging directly is absolutely fundamental.’