The Community Contribution should be compulsory

It's not a very original idea but it is laughable that the £5k/installed Mw/annum that power generators are supposed to pay to local communities is voluntary. Our community council area has had around 6 MW of hydro installed since 2014 and how much do they pay to our community? Zero. Surprised? You shouldn't be. The purpose of private capital is to maximise profit so why hand over £30k every year when you don't need to? That would be over £300k to our community in the last decade. If it was made compulsory for planning to be granted - taking away the 'option' of community contributions - or just making it legally compulsory then communities like ours wouldn't be getting zilch from local renewable schemes. To add insult to injury one of the schemes just across the loch from our village (Strontian) required a very loud rock breaker to bash away for about a year for its construction. Not a word of apology or compensation. Shame on the government for making these payments voluntary. It doesn't matter if they are increased from £5k to £6k (it would be £7.2k if inflation rate since 2014 was used) if it is volunary anyway. 

It would mean that communities ACTUALLY reaped (some of) the benefits of local renewable power generation instead ofmaking it optional. This would result in the benefits being shared and local communities supporting such schemes instead of hoping that those on high deigned to pass down a (pretty measily) ~£6k/annum/installed MW.