Description of local environment

Air quality

The schemes do not fall within any Air Quality Management Areas (Scottish Air Quality) which have been declared by the Highland Council.

There are no pollution monitoring sites located within 10km of the schemes (Air Quality in Scotland).

There are no Scottish Pollutant Release Inventory (SPRI) monitoring sites located within 10km of the schemes.

Baseline air quality in the study area is mainly influenced by vehicles travelling along the A82 trunk road.

Cultural heritage

According to PastMap (PastMap), there are no Scheduled Monuments, Listed Buildings, Garden & Designed Landscapes, Conservation Areas, World Heritage Sites or Inventory Battlefields located within 300m of the schemes.

Of lesser cultural heritage value two National Record of the Historic Environment (NHRE) and one Historic Environment Record (HER) lie within 300m of the schemes. ‘Creagan Criche’ is a milestone listed as both NHRE and HER and lies approximately 150m south of the A82 South of Highland Boundary. ‘Dubh Lochan’ is a milestone listed as NHRE and lies within A82 White Corran scheme extents.

Landscape and visual effects

The schemes are situated within the Ben Nevis and Glen Coe NSA (NatureScot – Site Code: 9120), which 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 scheme is not located within any National Parks (SiteLink).

The schemes are located within a rural location on the A82, with land surrounding the schemes dominated by boggy moorlands, sparse conifer woodland to the west, various lochs and minor watercourses spanning across the landscape.

The Landscape Character Type (LCT) within scheme extents are recorded as ‘Boggy Moorland – Lochaber’ (LCT No. 232) and ‘Rugged Mountains’ (LCT No. 35), which is noted for the following key characteristics:

LCT No. 35 – Rugged Mountains

  • Rugged, steep sided mountain ranges with a massive scale.
  • Diverse landform with gullies, scarp slopes and rocky screes.
  • Striking exposed rock faces, with scrubby birch-oak woodland in gullies.
  • Relatively wide glens between mountain ranges.
  • Fast-flowing burns, waterfalls and small upland lochs are distinctive features.
  • Extensive conifer forests on some lower slopes.
  • Inaccessible and relatively uninhabited, with strong wildness qualities.
  • Dramatic mountain scenery.

LCT No. 232 – Boggy Moorland – Lochaber

  • Vast waterlogged landscape, although one whose scale can be reduced by low hanging cloud and mist.
  • Amphitheatre setting - a massive basin encircled by curtain of hills which are often accentuated by cloud draped summits.
  • Large scale recurring landcover pattern of grass, rush and heather, scattered glacial erratics and mounds, pools and lochans with a few stunted trees.
  • Lochans with trees and rocks provide local foci within the landscape.
  • Small scale pattern of seasonal flowers and lichens draw the eye from the expanse into the detail of the bog surface.
  • Minimal obvious human influence, giving a remote and wild landscape character.

The A82 trunk road, within the North West, 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 predominantly single carriageway along its length, with some lengths of ‘2+1’ carriageway.

Biodiversity

The scheme extents are located within the boundary of Rannoch Moor Special Area of Conservation (SAC).

The scheme extents are located within the boundary of Glen Etive and Glen Fyne Special Protection Area (SPA).

The River Tay SAC lies approximately 1.8km northeast of the A82 South of Highland Boundary scheme.

The Rannoch Lochs SPA also lies approximately 1.8km northeast of the A82 South of Highland Boundary scheme.

Due to the ecological connectivity between the scheme extents and the above noted European Sites; a Habitats Regulations Appraisal (HRA) was conducted. Refer to the Biodiversity Impacts and Mitigation section below for further details.

The Rannoch Moor Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) overlaps the Rannoch Moor SAC and covers part of the scheme extents.

No other locally or nationally designated biodiversity sites are located within 300m of the schemes (NatureScot).

The National Biodiversity Network (NBN) Atlas holds several records of bird species within 2km of the schemes (only including records during the past ten years and of open-use attributions (OGL, CC0, CC-BY). Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended), all wild birds and their active nests are protected, with certain species receiving additional protections.

The NBN Atlas also holds the following records of invasive plants or injurious weeds (as listed in the Network Management Contract (NMC)) under the same criteria:

  • Broad-leaved dock (Rumex obtusifolius)
  • Common ragwort (Senecio jacobae)
  • Spear thistle (Cirsium arvense)

Transport Scotland’s Asset Management Performance System (AMPS) does not record any invasive plants or injurious weeds within the scheme extents.

Habitat surrounding the A82 at this location is dominated by boggy moorlands, sparse conifer woodland, and various lochs.

There are no areas of woodland within 300m of the scheme listed on the Ancient Woodland Inventory (NatureScot).

No Tree Preservation Orders (TPO) are located within 300m of the scheme (Argyll and Bute Council and Highland Council).

Surveys were carried out within a 200m buffer of each scheme extents by the BEAR NW Environment Team in April 2026.

Geology and soils

The schemes do not lie within 300m of any geological SSSIs or Geological Conservation Review Sites (NatureScot).

Soils within the schemes are recorded as peaty gleys and peaty gleyed podzols (Scotland’s Soils).

Soils within scheme extents are recorded on the 2016 Carbon and Peatland map as Class 1 and Class 2. Class 1 indicates peatland with nationally important carbon-rich soils, deep peat and priority peatland habitat, of high conservation value. Class 2 indicates nationally important carbon-rich soils, deep peat and priority peatland habitat, potentially of high conservation value and restoration potential (Scotland’s Soils).

Bedrock within the scheme is recorded as ‘Auch Gleann Psammite Formation (psammite)’ and ‘Rannoch Moor Pluton (granodiorite), and superficial deposits of ‘Till and Morainic Deposits (diamicton, sand, and gravel)’ (BGS).

Material assets and waste

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

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

Wastes are anticipated to be primarily planings from the carriageway surface course. All road planings will be treated in line with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) Low Risk Waste Activity (LRWA) 3 and will be recycled in line with SEPA’s Guidance for End-of-Waste for Recycled Aggregates (WAS-G-DEF-05). Coal tar has not been highlighted as being present within the schemes.

As the value of the A82 South of Highland Boundary scheme exceeds £350,000; a Site Waste Management Plan (SWMP) is required to be in place for these works. However, the A82 White Corries works fall under value of £350,000 and SWMP is not required for that scheme.

Noise and vibration

The works do not fall within a Candidate Noise Management Area (CNMA) as defined by Transport Scotland’s Transportation Noise Action Plan (TNAP) 2024-2028.

The noise map records average noise levels for day, evening and night (Lden) ranging between 64-72db (Scotland's Noise)

The schemes lie within a rural area, with the main noise sources anticipated to arise from road traffic on the A82.

Population and human health

There are no residential or commercial properties located within 300m of the schemes.

There are no National Cycle Network (NCN) Routes (OS Maps), walking routes (WalkHighlands), or core paths (Scotland’s Environment) noted within 300m of the A82 South of Highland Boundary scheme.

One walking route, ‘West Highland Way 6 – Inveroran to Kings House’, lies at the junction approximately 100m northwest of the A82 White Corries scheme extents. There are no National Cycle Network (NCN) Routes (OS Maps) or core paths (Scotland’s Environment) noted within 300m of the A82 White Corries. 

Two unofficial laybys/passing points are located along the A82 within the scheme extents of the A82 South of Highland Boundary. No other road facilities, such as laybys, bus stops, crossing points etc. lie within scheme extents.

The nearest traffic count point on the A82 (ID: ATC00003 – A82 Glencoe East) is located approximately 14km and 20km south of scheme extents respectively, which records average daily traffic (ADT) flow of 4,470 vehicles in 2025, with 9.2% of which being heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) (Transport Scotland).

Road drainage and the water environment

Allt Bhreacnais (ID:10291) is spanned by the A82 within the A82 South of Highland Boundary scheme extents, and has been classified by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) under the Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC (WFD) in 2024 as having an overall condition of ‘good’ (SEPA).

Lochan na h-Achlaise (ID:100231) lies approximately 250m northwest of the A82 South of Highland Boundary scheme extents at its closest point and has been classified by SEPA under the WFD in 2024 as having an overall condition of ‘high’ (SEPA).

No watercourses classified by SEPA lie within 300m of the A82 White Corries scheme extents. However, several minor unnamed watercourses lie within 300m of both scheme extents, many of which are culverted under the A82 within the scheme extents (SEPA).

The schemes are located within the ‘Upper Glen Coe’ groundwater body (ID: 15093) which was classified by SEPA in 2024 as having an overall condition of ‘good’ (SEPA), and is also recorded as a Drinking Water Protected Area (Ground) (Scotland's Environment).

SEPA Flood Map has highlighted small sections on the A82 within the footprint of the scheme extents as having high likelihood of river, surface water and small water course flooding (i.e. a 10% chance of flooding each year).

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).