Description of local environment

Air quality

No Air Quality Management Areas (AQMA) or Air Quality Monitoring Stations (AQMS) are located within 10km of the proposed works (Air Quality in Scotland).

No Scottish Pollutant Release Inventory (SPRI) sites (which record air pollutant releases), are located within 10km of the scheme (Scotland’s Environment).

Baseline air quality is likely influenced by traffic along the trunk road, especially during tourist season.

The average annual daily flow (AADF) of traffic in 2024 on the A82 carriageway within the scheme extent (as provided by Transport Scotland), was recorded as 4,694 vehicles, of which 8% were heavy goods vehicles (HGVs).

Cultural heritage

The Scheduled Monument ‘Tom Beag,Inclined Plane,Ballachulish’ is located 120m southwest of the scheme extent.

There are various Canmore and Historic Environment Records (HERs) within 300m of the scheme extent, however none lie within the footprint of the works.

No Listed Buildings, Garden & Designed Landscapes, Conservation Areas, Battlefields or World Heritage sites were identified within 300m of the scheme (PastMap).

Construction of the A82 carriageway is likely to have removed any archaeological remains that may have been present within the carriageway boundary. The potential for the presence of unknown archaeological remains in the study area has therefore been assessed to be low.

Landscape and visual effects

The scheme is located within Ben Nevis and Glen Coe National Scenic Area (NSA) (Sitelink). The NSA has the following Special Qualities:

  • A land of mountain grandeur
  • A land of classic highland vistas
  • Human settlement dwarfed by mountain and moorland
  • The expansive Moor of Rannoch
  • The spectacular drama of Glen Coe
  • The wooded strath of lower Glen Coe
  • The narrow and enclosed Loch Leven
  • The impressive massif of Ben Nevis
  • The wild Mamores and secretive Glen Nevis
  • The fjord-like upper Loch Leven
  • Long and green Glen Etive
  • The dark heritage.

The Landscape Character Type (LCT) within the study area is ‘Lochs with Settled Edges’ (no. 234) (Scottish Landscape Character Types). The Lochs with settled edges LCT is characterised by:

  • Flat landscape contained between steep loch sides and open water.
  • Extensive agriculture and settlement confined within a narrow lochside fringe, whose foreshore is subject to tidal influence.
  • Loch heads and river mouths that permit more extensive farming and built development, including housing and small industrial estates.
  • Communications confined to narrow loch edges where shingly beaches, rocky headlands, wooded banks and marshy platforms form a diverse water's edge.
  • Extensive tracts of oak-birch woodland climbing from the lochside up into the foothills, often engulfing the settled edge and providing an enclosed microlandscape.
  • Dense commercial forests descend to loch shore in some locations.
  • Occasional policy grounds of big houses along the loch edge give rise to a proliferation of rhododendron and other ornamentals in some places, providing a lush and sheltered character.
  • Linearly arranged crofting communities with vivid green croft fields contrast with the more subdued duller colours of surrounding hills.

Land use (HLA) within 300m of the scheme extent is classified as a combination of urban area, managed woodland, rough grazing and recreation area.

The land surrounding the trunk road is classified as 6.1 – ‘Land capable of use as rough grazings with a high proportion of palatable plants’ and 5.2 – ‘Land capable of use as improved grassland. Few problems with pasture establishment but may be difficult to maintain’ (Scotland’s soils).

The A82 carriageway is a prominent linear landscape feature. The road corridor, for example, has a distinct character shaped by fast-flowing traffic, road markings, safety barriers, signage, landscaping, lighting etc. The scale of the carriageway detracts from the quality and character of the wider landscape.

Biodiversity

The scheme lies 1km northeast of the boundary of Glen Etive and Glen Fyne Special Protection Area (SPA) (SiteLink). A Habitats Regulations Appraisal (HRA) has been undertaken for this site; refer to the relevant assessment section below for details.

There are no Local Nature Conservation Sites (LNCS) or Local Nature Reserves (LNRs) within 300m of, or which share connectivity with, the scheme extent (SiteLink).

Carnach Wood Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) lies adjacent to the A82 Carriageway within the scheme extent. It is designated for Flies and Wet woodland.

The NBN Atlas records the following invasive non-native species and injurious weeds (as listed in the Network Management Contract(NMC)) within 2km of the scheme using the same search criteria:

  • Broad-leaved dock (Rumex obtusifolius)
  • Common ragwort (Jacobaea vulgaris)
  • Curled dock (Rumex crispus)
  • Rhododendron (Rhododendron ponticum)
  • Rosebay willowherb (Chamaenerion angustifolium)
  • Spear thistle (Cirsium vulgare)

A search of the Asset Management Performance System (AMPS) records no invasive non-native plants or injurious weeds, as located within 300m of the scheme extent.

The Ancient Woodland Inventory Scotland records multiple areas of ancient woodland, classified as ancient (of semi-natural origin), within 300m of the scheme extent.

Geology and soils

There are no Geological Conservation Review Site (GCRS), Local Geodiversity Sites (LGS) or geological Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) with connectivity to the scheme.

The British Geological Survey online mapping tool records that the bedrock geology within the scheme extents as ‘Ballachulish Limestone Formation’ (pelite, calcareous). The superficial deposits within the scheme extents are recorded as ‘Till, Devension’ (diamicton) and ‘raised beach deposits’ (gravel, sand and silt).

Soils within the scheme extent are recorded as being ‘Class 0’ as displayed on Scotland’s Peat Map. Class 0 is considered to be mineral soil.

Works will be restricted to previously engineered ground within the A82 trunk road boundary. Therefore, this receptor has no constraints that are likely to be impacted by the proposed works and as such, ‘geology and soils’ is scoped out and is not discussed further within this RoD.

Material assets and waste

The proposed works are required to resurface the worn carriageway and reinstate road markings. Materials used will likely consist of:

  • Asphaltic material:
  • Thermoplastic road-marking paint
  • Bituminous emulsion bond coat
  • Milled in road studs

Wastes are anticipated to be planings from the carriageway surface course, which will be fully recovered for re-use in line with BEAR Scotland’s Procedure 126: The Production of Fully Recovered Asphalt Road Planings. The Contractor is responsible for the disposal of road planings and this will be registered in accordance with a Paragraph 13(a) waste exemption issued by SEPA, as described in Schedule 3 of the Waste Management Licensing Regulations 2011.

A Site Waste Management Plan (SWMP) is not required for the scheme. Coal tar has not been highlighted as being present within the scheme extent.

Noise and vibration

The works do not fall within a Candidate Noise Management Area (CNMA) as defined by the Transportation Noise Action Plan (Road Maps) (TNAP).

LDEN or ‘day, evening, night average noise levels’ are modelled within the scheme extent. Noise levels are recorded as being between 63 and 67db on the road (ScotGov).

Baseline noise and vibration in the study area is mainly influenced by vehicles travelling along the A82 trunk road.

Population and human health

There are approximately 35 residential properties located within 300m of the scheme extent, the closest of which lies 8m south of the scheme extent.

There are two bus stops, six access roads, one layby and footpaths on both sides of the carriageway within 300m of the scheme extent, of which the layby and two access roads are located within the scheme extent.

There is street lighting in some parts of the scheme extent.

One Core path is located on the westbound footpath along the A82 carriageway within the scheme extent and one walking route, as listed on WalkHighlands, starts 120m west of the scheme extent.

There are no National Cycle Network (NCN) routes within 300m of the scheme extent.

The A82 Trunk Road connects Alexandria with Crianlarich, Fort William and Inverness. It commences immediately north of Tullichewan Roundabout in Alexandria leading generally northwards for a distance of 243 kilometres to its junction with the A9 at (but excluding) Longman Roundabout in Inverness. The A82 is a single carriageway within the scheme extent.

Road drainage and the water environment

The A82 carriageway is located along Loch Leven (ID: 200080) at a distance of 10m. Loch Leven is a coastal waterbody that has been classified by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) in 2023 under the Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC (WFD) as having an overall status of ‘Good’ (SEPA).

There are multiple unclassified waterbodies that are located within 300m of the scheme extent.

A search of the SEPA Flood Map identifies that there is a medium risk of coastal flooding and surface water flooding within the scheme extents, with a 0.5% chance of flooding every year.

A search of the Scotland’s Environment (SE) online mapping tool determined that the trunk road, within the scheme extents, lies on the ‘Kinlochleven’ groundwater body, which has been classified as ‘Good’. The scheme falls into a Drinking Water Protected Area for groundwater.

Climate

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). 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 a legally binding target of net-zero by 2045.