Description of local environment

Air quality

Receptors – refer to ‘Population and Human Health’.

A search of the Air Quality in Scotland online mapping shows that air quality monitoring sites in the wider area record bandings in the ‘green zone’ (Low Index 1-3).

The scheme extents lie within the boundary of East Lothian Council which currently has one active Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) within its administrative boundary, ‘High Street, Musselburgh’, which lies approx. 3.7km west of the scheme extents and has been declared for nitrogen dioxide (NO2).

There are five sites registered on the Scottish Pollutant Release Inventory (SPRI) for pollutant releases to air within 10km of the scheme within the last 10 years:

  • Charles River Laboratories Edinburgh Limited – Waste and Waste-Water Management, declared for cadmium, located approx. 2.2km southeast of the scheme.
  • Millerhill Anaerobic Digestion Facility, Dalkeith – Waste and Waste-Water Management, declared for ammonia, carbon monoxide and methane, located approx. 6.3km southwest of the scheme.
  • Millerhill Recycling and Energy Recovery Centre – Waste and Waste-Water Management, declared for antimony, cadmium, carbon dioxide (CO2), chromium, copper, dioxins and furans as WHO TEQ, manganese, mercury, nickel, NOs and NO2, particulate matter (PM) PM5 and smaller, located approx. 6.4km southwest of the scheme.
  • East Lothian Eggs at Howden Farm – Intensive Livestock Production and Aquaculture, declared for ammonia, located approx. 6.9km southwest of the scheme.
  • Interflex Limited, Mayfield Industrial Estate, Dalkeith – Other Activities, declared for non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs), located approx. 9.4km southwest of the scheme.

Baseline air quality in the study area is mainly influenced by vehicles travelling along the A1 trunk road. Secondary sources are derived from day-to-day agricultural land management activities.

Cultural heritage

The PastMap and Historic Environment Scotland (HES) online mapping tools records five designated sites within 300m of the scheme extents:

  • Battle of Prestonpans Inventory Battlefield (IB) lies partially within the scheme extents.
  • Dolphingstone Dovecot Listed Building (ID: 17553) lies approx. 160m northwest of the scheme extents.
  • Battle of Pinkie IB lies approx. 220m northwest of the scheme extents.
  • Bankton House Garden House / Dovecot Listed Building (ID: 17548) lies approx. 250m northeast of the scheme extents.
  • Bankton House (Colonel Gardiner’s House) with Retaining Walls Listed Building (ID: 17546) lies approx. 280m northeast of the scheme extents.

There are no Garden’s and Designed Landscapes, Scheduled Monuments, World Heritage Sites or Conservation Areas within 300m.

Of lesser cultural heritage value, approx. 39 undesignated cultural heritage assets (UCHAs) lie within 300m of the scheme extents, the closest of which lies within the southbound carriageway, adjacent to the northbound carriageway within the scheme extents:

  • Dolphingstone National Record of the Historic Environment (NRHE) and Historic Environment Record (HER).

Construction of the A1 carriageway boundary and verge is likely to have removed any archaeological remains that may have been present within the trunk road boundary. The potential for the presence of unknown archaeological remains in the study area is therefore assessed to be low.

Landscape and visual effects

The scheme is not situated within a National Scenic Area or National Park (NP).

The Landscape Character Type (LCT) within the study area is ‘Settled Coastal Farmland’ (no. 279) (Scottish Landscape Character Types). The characteristics of which are:

  • Coastline of low rocky platforms, small rocky headlands and sandy beaches.
  • Almost continuously settled coastal strip giving the area an overall dominant urban/industrial character.
  • Extensive fields of prime agricultural land which is being reduced in area due to settlement expansion.
  • Prominent main road and rail transport corridors, as well as a dense network of minor roads.
  • Estate and designed landscapes and boundary features.
  • Visual clutter of vertical structures.
  • Views across the coastal plain are often curtailed by development, especially in the westernmost part of this Landscape Character Type.

Land use within 300m of the scheme is categorised into the following:

  • Motorway and major roads.
  • Cultivated former parkland.
  • Rectilinear fields and farms.
  • Managed woodland.
  • Designed landscape.

At the time of writing of this report the National Scale Land Capability for Agriculture map is unavailable.

There are two areas of lowland mixed deciduous woodland as registered on the Native Woodland Survey of Scotland (NWSS) within 300m of the scheme extents:

  • Nearly-native (approx. 0.5ha) lies adjacent to the northbound carriageway within the scheme extents.
  • 1ha lies approx. 48m south / southeast of the scheme extents.

There are no areas of woodland as registered on the Ancient Woodland Inventory Scotland within 300m of the scheme extents and there are no trees covered by a Tree Preservation Order (TPO) with connectivity to the scheme extents.

The existing trunk road is a prominent linear landscape feature. The trunk road corridor, for example, has a distinct character shaped by fast-flowing traffic, road markings, safety barriers, signage, landscaping etc. The scale of the trunk road detracts from the quality and character of the wider landscape. 

Biodiversity

The NatureScot Sitelink online mapping tool identifies that the scheme lies within 2km of the Firth of Forth SPA and Ramsar Site and the Outer Firth of Forth and St Andrews Bay Complex SPA and within the buffer zone of the qualifying feature of Fala Flow SPA and Ramsar Site and Gladhouse Reservoir SPA and Ramsar Site.

The Firth of Forth SPA and Ramsar Site is located approx. 1.4km north of the scheme extents.

The Outer Firth of Forth and St Andrews Bay Complex SPA is located approx. 1.5km north of the scheme extents.

Fala Flow SPA and Ramsar Site are located approx. 13.2km southeast of the scheme extents and Gladhouse Reservoir SPA and Ramsar Site are located approx. 19.9km southwest of the scheme extents.

There are no Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), Local Nature Conservation Sites (LNCS) or Local Nature Reserves (LNRs) within 300m of the scheme extents.

While not within 300m the Firth of Forth SPA is underpinned by the Firth of Forth SSSI (located approx. 1.4km north of the scheme).

The Outer Firth of Forth and St Andrews Bay Complex SPA is underpinned by Inchmickery SSSI (located approx. 19.2km northwest of the scheme), Bass Rock SSSI (located approx. 24.5km northeast of the scheme) and the Isle of May SSSI (approx. 36.5km northeast of the scheme). Fala Flow SPA is underpinned by Fala Flow SSSI (located approx. 13.2km southeast of the scheme). Gladhouse Reservoir SPA is underpinned by Gladhouse Reservoir SSSI (located approx. 19.9km southwest of the scheme).

The NBN atlas also holds records of numerous bird species within 2km over a ten-year period. Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended), all wild birds and their active nests (typically active March to August inclusive) are protected. No other species of conservation concern were identified within 2km of the scheme. Only records with open-use attributions (OGL, CC0, CC-BY) were included in the search criteria.

A search of the NBN online mapping tool records the following injurious and invasive plant species as listed within the Network Management Contract (NMC) lie within 2km of the scheme extents (within the last 10-years):

Invasive Non-Native Species (INNS):

  • Giant hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum).

Injurious Weeds:

  • Broadleaved dock (Rumex obtusifolius).
  • Creeping thistle (Cirsium arvense).
  • Spear thistle (Cirsium vulgare).
  • Curled dock (Rumex crispus).
  • Common ragwort (Jacobaea vulgaris).

Invasive Native Perennial:

  • Rosebay willowherb (Chamaenerion angustifolium).

The closest record pertains to injurious weed spear thistle approx. 0.4km north of the scheme (recorded 2023).

A search of the Asset Management Performance System (AMPS) online mapping tool records one instance of invasive native perennial rosebay willowherb within the verge of the scheme extents.

Habitat immediately bordering the trunk road tends to be of low intrinsic value because the existing road verge is subject to cyclic maintenance e.g., grass cutting, weed control, tree, and shrub cut-back etc. The roadside verges are comprised of a homogenous managed areas of semi-improved grassland alongside sections of broadleaved woodland, tree lines and scrub. Roadside vegetation generally offers low ecological habitat due to its limited scale, fragmented nature and high potential for disturbance owing to cyclic landscape maintenance and the proximity of the trunk road (with its fast-flowing traffic). The presence of the trunk road also restricts continuity of, and connectivity between, habitats either side of the trunk road boundary.

Out with the trunk road boundary, an urban development lies southwest of the scheme while a town lies north and south of the scheme. In addition, agricultural surrounds the scheme in the wider area. Areas of agricultural land management restrict the occurrence of semi-natural and natural vegetation types. Most field boundaries are comprised of post-and-wire fencing and vegetative features further delineating field boundaries e.g., woodland, shrub hedgerow, rough grassland, ruderal herb stands and scrub. Linear features at field boundaries have wildlife value, both as corridors in an intensively managed landscape, and as habitats for birds and small animals.

Geology and soils

The A1 within the scheme extents is not located within 300m of a Geological Conservation Review Site (GCRS) and there are no Local Geodiversity Sites (LGS) within 300m of the scheme extents.

At the time of writing of this report the National Soil Map of Scotland map is unavailable.

The British Geological Survey online mapping tool records that the superficial geology within the scheme extents is partially comprised of:

  • Till, Devensian (Diamicton).

The bedrock geology within the scheme extents is recorded as:

  • Limestone Coal Formation, Sedimentary Rock Cycles (Clackmannan Group Type).
  • Lower Limestone Formation, Sandstone with Argillaceous Rocks and Limestone.
  • Second Hosie Limestone, Limestone.
  • Top Hosie Limestone, Limestone.

There is no evidence of historical industrial processes or the storage of hazardous materials that could have given rise to significant land contamination.

The works will be limited to the like-for-like replacement of the existing A1 northbound carriageway boundary and depth. There are no geological designated features within or in close proximity to the scheme extents. Therefore, it is considered that there is no potential for impacts to geology and soils and this topic has been scoped out of further assessment.

Material assets and waste

The proposed works are required to replace the worn carriageway surface and reinstate road markings.

Materials used will consist of:

  • TS2010 10mm Site Class 1.
  • EME2 AC14 Binder.
  • Tack / Bond coat, paving grade bitumen to seal vertical faces.
  • Eurolite Thermoplastic Road Markings.
  • Embedded Road Studs.

As the value of the scheme is greater than £350,000, a Site Waste Management Plan (SWMP) is required for this scheme.

The 1302m scheme involves removal of surface course and localised areas of binder. In total, approx. 5000 tonnes of bituminous material (European Waste Catalogue Code: 17 03 02) will be removed from site, none of which is classified as hazardous material containing coal tar.

Noise and vibration

Receptors – refer to ‘Population and Human Health’.

Works are not located within a Candidate Quiet Area (CQA).

The night-time modelled noise level (LNGT) ranges between 65 and 75 decibels (dB) within the scheme extents (Scotland’s Noise), with levels dropping to between 55 and 60 dB at the nearest noise sensitive receptor (NSR) (i.e., residential property).

The baseline noise and vibration in the scheme extents are primarily influenced by vehicles travelling along the A1 trunk road. Secondary sources most likely arise from day-to-day agricultural activities and from motor vehicles travelling along nearby roads.

Population and human health

Several residential properties, a business premise and an urban development lie within 300m of the scheme extents, the closest of which lies approx. 131m north of the scheme and is partially screened from the scheme at some sections by raised roadside verge and tree shelterbelt.

There are no non-motorised user (NMU) or community facilities with connectivity to the scheme.

Street lighting is not present within the scheme.

The A1, within the scheme extents, is a dual carriageway with the national speed limit applying throughout. The Average Daily Traffic (ADT) flow is high (53,433 motor vehicles) (ID: JTC00402, 2026).

Road drainage and the water environment

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) River Basin Management Plan online mapping tool records no classified surface waterbodies within 300m of the scheme extents.

Two unclassified waterbodies lie within 300m of the scheme extents:

  • Drain1 lies approx. 15m northwest of the scheme and is separated from the scheme by roadside verge.
  • Drain2 lies approx. 27m southeast of the scheme and is separated from the scheme by the A1 southbound carriageway and roadside verge.

A search of the SEPA’s Flood Map online mapping tool records that the M90 within the scheme extents is at a low – medium risk of surface water flooding (i.e., each year this area has a 0.1 – 0.5% chance of flooding).

A search of Scotland's Environment (SE) online mapping tool determined that the trunk road lies on the ‘Dalkeith’ groundwater, which has been classified as being in ‘Poor’ condition.

The scheme extents do not lie within a Nitrate Vulnerable Zone (NVZ).

Climate

The Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 (‘The Act’), and its subsequent amendment under the Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) (Scotland) Act 2019, sets the framework for the Scottish Government to address climate change. The Act has an ambitious target to reach Net Zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045, with any residual emissions balanced by removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. This is five years earlier than the rest of the UK due to the greater potential for carbon sequestration in Scotland.

The Act was amended to replace interim targets with carbon budgets. Carbon budgets are legally binding caps on greenhouse gas emissions in Scotland over five-year periods. In line with the Act, the Climate Change Committee (CCC) published advice on the level of Scotland’s four carbon budgets, covering the period 2026 to 2045, recommending what the Scottish Government sets its carbon budgets at for annual average levels of emissions. These recommendations are based on an ambitious but credible route to Net Zero for Scotland by 2045. 

Emissions reductions from surface transport are the largest contribution to meeting the first two carbon budgets. The pathway for surface transport emission reduction is primarily driven by the uptake of electric vehicles, in addition to measures to enable a shift from car use to public transport and active travel, which all play a role in reducing emissions from fossil fuel cars. Ensuring efficiency of existing transport infrastructure and improving/providing new active travel facilities is therefore important to support these carbon reduction budgets. 

Transport is the largest contributor to harmful climate emissions in Scotland. In response to the climate emergency, Transport Scotland are committed to reducing their emissions by 75% by 2030 and to the above noted legally binding target of net-zero by 2045. Transport Scotland is committed to reducing carbon across Scotland’s transport network and this commitment is being enacted through the Mission Zero for Transport (Mission Zero for transport | Transport Scotland).