Appendix 10.1 Schedule of Visual Effects

Appendix 10.1 Schedule of Visual Effects

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In the following schedule, the ‘types’ of receptor are as classified follows:

R - Residential, normally a highly sensitive receptor
O - Open space or Outdoor recreation site, normally a highly sensitive receptor
T — Transport, normally a moderately sensitive receptor.
B - Business or indoor recreation site, normally slightly sensitive receptors (except restaurants and hotels)
Where there is more than one type of receptor at an assessment location, the most sensitive is assessed.

The overall impact given in these tables and shown on the Visual Impact Drawings (Figures 10.21a to 10.21d) is that which the assessor considers that the ordinary receptor will perceive. It combines the permanent impact of the physical presence of the new road with the operational impact of traffic movement. This is a technical distinction that is unlikely to be made by the ordinary observer who is concerned with the overall visual effect of the introduction of a busy new road.

Type

Ref

Location

Distance

Current View Towards Proposals

Visual Effect in the Year of Opening (Winter)

Visual Effect 15 Years after Construction (Summer)

R

1

Houses on A82 south of the village (Old Stronua House etc)

About 100m

Mature conifers and birch/willow scrub around the edge of the garden areas heavily filter and screen most views towards the proposals

New roundabout would be just visible though a dense filter of vegetation. The change would have a negligible effect

The new works would nor be visible in summer.

No effect

R

2

Glen Falloch Road

2nd group of houses (Sharneil, No3 Glenfalloch Road and Northumbria B&B )

80-90m

Open view across the existing road, knolly and partially scrub covered moorland ground rises towards a middle-ground backdrop of conifer plantation.

New road would pass on embankment across the whole view in the close middle-ground, back-dropped by the conifer plantation. Across most of the view cars would be screened by mitigation bunding. Permanent effects would be major adverse. Most traffic would be removed from the immediate foreground of the view and moved into the middle-ground, giving a moderate beneficial change. On balance moderate adverse

Mitigation planting would have developed helping to blend the new road and embankment into the landscape and replacing the scrub lost. High sided traffic would remain visible, higher in the view but more distant than traffic on the existing road. However most car traffic would be screened from view. Minor beneficial

R

3

Glen Falloch Road

(1&2 Glenfalloch Road and Hillview B&B)

80m

Open view across the existing road, knolly and partially scrub covered moorland ground rises towards a middle-ground backdrop of conifer plantation.

New road would pass on embankment across the whole view in the close middle-ground, back-dropped by the conifer plantation. Across about 2/3 of the view cars would be screened by mitigation bunding. Permanent effects would be major adverse. Most traffic would be removed from the immediate foreground of the view and moved into the middle-ground, giving a moderate beneficial change. On balance moderate adverse

Mitigation planting would have developed helping to blend the new road and embankment into the landscape and replacing the scrub lost. Moving traffic would remain visible, higher in the view but more distant than traffic on the existing road.

Minor adverse

R

4

Station House

130m

Partially enclosed views across the railway line and station to a mountainside scene of birch and willow scrub on a grassy moorland slope enclosed by the conifer plantation.

New road on embankment visible in middle ground, back-dropped by existing planting and existing traffic. Some of the scrub woodland would be lost.

Moderate adverse

Mitigation planting would have developed helping to blend the new road into the landscape and replacing the scrub lost to the new road. Moving traffic would remain visible, higher in the view but more distant than traffic on the existing road.

Minor adverse

R

5

Dunvegan Block

165m

Back of building and back garden well screened by conifer hedge. Existing road and railway line in middle ground in open views from upper windows. Plantation woodland in the background.

Traffic on new road visible in the middle-distance at a higher elevation than on the existing road. Plantation noticeably cut back.

Moderate adverse

Mitigation planting would have developed substantially reducing the degree to which traffic is visible and softening the edges of the plantation.

Minor, neutral

R

6

Gleann Fiadh Lodge

100m

Broad view from the front of house (picture window) across grassy moorland knolls to conifer plantation enclosing the view in the middle ground. Tops of distant hills visible over the trees.

New road would be in cutting across the whole of the view. Mitigation bunding higher for noise reasons than required for visual reasons, would enclose and foreshorten views and remove views of traffic directly in front of the house. Cut through woodland south of the house would be clearly visible. High-sided vehicles clearly visible to the south (cars probably screened by cutting) an oblique view from the front door but direct view from picture window.

Major adverse

Vegetation on the mitigation bund, the road cutting, and the edges of the existing woodland would have developed, blending the new road in to the existing landscape and reducing the visual intrusion. However high-sided vehicles would still be visible and the character of the view substantially altered

Major adverse

R

7

Willow square

(courtyard)

60-90m

Enclosed view from the to grassy knolls in middle ground rising to the conifer plantation in the background.

New road would be in slight cutting between the square and the woodland in the background. Mitigation bunding would screen views of the road and somewhat foreshorten the outlook from the houses. The tops of high-sided vehicles would be visible, changing the character of the scene.

Major adverse

Vegetation on the mitigation bund would have developed, blending it in to the existing landscape so that the quality of the view although foreshortened is not substantially different to the pre-existing view. Vegetation should screen views of the high-sided vehicles

Minor adverse

R

8

Willow Brae

65m

Enclosed view from the front of houses and front gardens. Local road in foreground, with scrubby birch and willow along the road fence. Grassy slopes rising towards conifer plantation in the background

New road would be in slight cutting between the existing local road and the woodland in the background. Mitigation bunding would screen views of the road and traffic but would extend quite close to the local road and foreshorten the outlook from the houses. The newness of the landform would give it a different character.

Major adverse

Vegetation on the mitigation bund would have developed, blending it in to the existing landscape so that the quality of the view although foreshortened is not substantially different to the pre-existing view.

Moderate adverse

R

9

Carna Cottage

80m

Enclosed view from the back of the house (picture window). Open ground rising quite steeply, conifer plantation in the background.

New road would be in slight cutting in middle distance. Mitigation bunding would screen views of the road and traffic but enclose views more than they are at present. Permanent effects would be moderate adverse. Operational effects from the reduction in view of traffic passing the front of the house would be moderate beneficial. On balance:

Moderate Adverse

Planting on the mitigation bund would have developed, blending these in to the existing landscape. Overall the receptor would be somewhat more visually enclosed at the rear but would see much less moving traffic

Minor adverse

R

10

Tyndrum Ter. and adjacent

(8 houses)

50-60m

Wide but short view from the back of houses and back gardens across a strip of open rising ground, middle-ground backdrop of conifer plantation which encloses the views.

New road in cutting to the back of their gardens below the line of the woodland. Mitigation bunding and planting will further enclose views but screen the traffic from the ground floor but moving traffic likely to be visible from the first floor (bedrooms?). Reduction in traffic to the front of the houses (but below their main view) of minor beneficial effect. On balance:

Major adverse

Planting will have developed and matured reducing the visibility of traffic from the first floor and softening the new landform but to a degree increasing the sense of enclosure. Effect remains

Major adverse

R

11

Ardlea

85m (to the roundabout)

Oblique view towards the new works. Existing road and traffic in foreground, conifer plantation rising up the hillside in the background.

New road and roundabout visible to the west from the front of the house, across woodland. Grassy slope with birch and willow scrub in the middle-ground replaced by the proposal. Reduction in traffic in immediate foreground. Permanent effects moderate adverse, operational effects (from reduction in view of traffic passing the house) moderate beneficial. On balance:

Moderate adverse

Planting at the SUDS pond will reduce views of the new junction, the raw scars will have vegetated and settled in. The viewer will have become used to the change. Permanent effects will reduce to minor adverse. Operational effects remain at moderate beneficial. On balance a change but neither better nor worse:

Minor, neutral

R

12

The Shieling

55m

Filtered view through well wooded garden. Ground rises towards the existing road. Traffic and lighting columns visible but not the road surface. Woodland backdrop in the middle ground.

(Road more visible at night as it is lit.)

New roundabout beyond the existing road, scrub woodland and grass in middle-ground lost. Grassy slope below woodland replaced by cutting. Due to the rising ground the road itself is not visible but the scar of the new cutting would be seen between the foreground trees and there would be lighting and signs associated with the roundabout.

Moderate adverse

Vegetation would have established on the cutting slope so that it is no longer a scar. Potentially some screen planting on the redundant old road will have grown up reducing visibility

Minor adverse

R

13

Tigh na Struith

150m

Open view from the front of the house and the garden across the edge of the Strath towards the village and hills to the south. Well wooded.

Potential slight view of the road or traffic between the houses in the middle distance.

Negligible

Screen planting will have grown up and any views are likely to be lost

None

T

14

A82 approach to village from the south

Varies

The arrival at the village is marked by the 30mph count-down signs and a mature conifer tree alongside the 30mph village gateway signs, before the built-up area is perceived.

The line of the road and details of road infrastructure and signage will be altered but the trees retained and the character of the view essentially unaltered.

Negligible

Mitigation planting will have grown up reinforcing the change in road alignment.

Negligible

T

15

Railway Station

110m

Open view across railway line and existing road towards grassy scrubby rising ground in the middle distance, enclosed by the conifer plantation.

New road and cutting through hills visible on left hand side, embankment on the right hand side. Some willow and birch scrub lost, cut in the conifer forest.

Moderate adverse

Replacement to the planting.

Minor adverse

T

16

A82 approach to village from the west

Varies

The arrival at the village is marked by the 30mph count-down signs and the 30mph village gateway signs. The view forward is of scrub woodland and the rising hillside, the village out of sight round the bend.

There will be a clear view into the road cutting going forwards, and of the fencing around the SUDS pond on the left of the roundabout.

There would be a substantial change in the view and the character of the scene but one that is in keeping with a view forwards along a main road and thus a minor adverse effect.

Vegetation would have softened the cut slopes and help integrate the new road into the landscape.

Negligible

O

17

Community Woodland

>= 200m

Open extensive views across knolly moorland to rising rugged forested mountainsides and along the valley towards Tyndrum. Sporadic development visible in the middle-ground but most of the village and the roads hidden by the topography

New road and traffic, earthworks and clearance of forestry would be clearly visible in the middle-ground above the village across the whole view, changing the character of the view.

Major Adverse

Mitigation planting will have grown up helping to integrate the new road into the landscape and the raw edges of cut forestry would have substantially softened. Traffic would still be clearly visible.

Moderate adverse

0

18

West Highland Way spur

 

Footpath along a ridge covered in open birch woodland, filtered views to line of road and forward to Crianlarich

Path diverted to pass under the new road. Clear open views of the new road and, inevitably, of the underpass.

Major adverse

Mitigation planting would have grown up reducing the degree of change in the approach to the road but there will be no change to the underpass and the immediate views of the road

Major adverse

0

19

West Highland Way south of the village

 

Topography and tree cover mean that there are unlikely to be any views

No effect

No effect

0

20

West Highland Way west of the village

 

Topography and tree cover mean that there are unlikely to be any views.

No effect

No effect

0

21

Ben More

5km

Broad views across a large-scale mountain landscape. Crianlarich clearly visible as a small part of a very large scene.

New road would be visible, with the line of the road reinforced by the line of the cut to the edge of the plantation. However within the large mountain view this is effectively a small development change to an developed area. The visual effect would be minor adverse (almost negligible)

Mitigation planting would have grown up but the road would remain visible from such an elevated viewpoint. The visual effect would remain minor adverse (almost negligible)

0

22

Approach path to Ben Challum

3 to 4km

Broad views across a large-scale mountain landscape. Crianlarich clearly visible as a small part of a very large scene.

Note that there is no view of Crianlarich from the summit of Ben Challum

New road would be visible, with the line of the road reinforced by the line of the cut to the edge of the plantation. However within the large mountain view this is effectively a small development change to an developed area. The visual effect would be minor adverse (almost negligible)

Mitigation planting would have grown substantially reducing the visibility of the new road, such that the visual effect would be negligible