Description of local environment

Air quality

The scheme does not fall within any Air Quality Management Areas (AQMA) declared by Argyll and Bute council (Scottish Air Quality).

No Air Quality Monitoring Stations (AQMS) are located within 10km of the proposed works (Scottish Air Quality).

There are no sites on the Scottish Pollutant Release Inventory (SPRI) with recorded air pollutant releases within 10km of the scheme.

The baseline air quality within the scheme extents is primarily influenced by motor vehicles travelling along the A83 trunk road and construction associated with the RaBT remediation works.

Cultural heritage

There are several Historic Environment Records (HER) and National Records of the Historic Environment (NRHE); the closest of which relate to the ‘Rest and Be Thankful’ (archaeological landscape), which lies approximately 50-100m to the north of the scheme throughout scheme extents

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

Landscape and visual effects

The scheme is situated within Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park (LLTNP) (NatureScot Site Code: 8621). LLTNP is designated for the following general special qualities:

  • A world-renowned landscape famed for its rural beauty
  • Wild and rugged highlands contrasting with pastoral lowlands
  • Water in its many forms
  • The rich variety of woodlands
  • Settlements nestled within a vast natural backdrop
  • Famous through-routes
  • Tranquillity
  • The easily accessible landscape splendour

There are no National Scenic Areas (NSA) located within 300m of the scheme.

The Landscape Character Type (LCT) within the study area is ‘Upland Glens – Loch Lomond & the Trossachs’ (no. 252) (Scottish Landscape Character Types), which has the following key characteristics:

  • Often narrow with little flat glen floor, strongly enclosed by steep hill slopes of the adjacent Steep Ridges and Hills and Highland Summits.
  • Steep glen sides often patterned with rocky outcrops, boulders and screes but also extensively forested, particularly on lower slopes.
  • Tributary burns and rivers cut deep gullies into slopes and many feature waterfalls and cascades, pools and rocky outcrops.
  • Walled pastures sometimes occasionally occurring on lower (usually south-facing) slopes. Heather covers better drained areas and bright green flushes appear at spring lines on hill slopes.
  • Some glens covered with extensive coniferous forestry.
  • Notable ancient and semi-ancient woodlands of oak and birch in some glens, Natural regeneration of scrub woodland where grazing has declined as in the Luss Glens.
  • Relict wood pasture and Caledonian pine woodlands evident in some areas,
  • Scattered trees and native woodland trace the edges of burns.
  • Sparsely settled but with some isolated farms in lower reaches of glens, these often south-facing.
  • Significant cultural features in more open glens, including shielings and abandoned field systems.
  • Areas of crofting evident on some lower slopes.
  • Some important historic strategic routes for communications and accommodate key road and rail links today for example.
  • Classic views channelled up and down the Glens, with steep side slopes framing landscapes that lie beyond them.

The scheme is located within a rural glen with peaks either side of the scheme, with highly engineered areas (i.e. fencing, netting, pits etc) on the slope directly northeast of scheme extents. An area of conifer woodland is also present south of scheme extents. Various watercourses also lie in close proximity to the scheme.

The A83 Trunk Road connects Tarbet with Lochgilphead, Kennacraig and Campbeltown. It commences at the A82 / A83 junction within Tarbet leading generally south-westwards for a distance of 158 kilometres to (and including) its junction with New Quay Street at the Campbeltown Ferry Terminal. The A83 is a single carriageway in proximity to the scheme.

Biodiversity

Glen Etive and Glen Fyne SPA lies 2.3km north of the scheme. There are no other European Sites within 2km of the scheme or sites in the wider area which hold connectivity to the proposed works.

There are no locally or nationally designated sites (i.e. Sites of Special Interest (SSSI), National/Local Nature Reserves) within 300m of the scheme (SiteLink).

Numerous bird species are also recorded on NBN Atlas within the same search criteria and under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, all wild birds and their active nests are protected.

The NBN Atlas did not return records of invasive or injurious plant species (as listed in the Network Management Contract (NMC)) under the same search criteria.

Transport Scotland’s Asset Management Performance System (AMPS) also did not identify invasive or injurious plant species (as listed in the NMC) within 300m of the scheme.

The habitat in proximity to the scheme is dominated by rough grasslands with thick vegetation (mainly ferns), and freshwater habitat from various minor watercourses, with conifer woodland in the wider area. Much of the land adjacent to the A83 within the scheme extents is heavily engineered with large fencing and netting due to high landslide risk on this slope. As such, the habitat in proximity to the scheme is suitable for species such as nesting birds (March-August inclusive).

There are no areas of woodland listed on the Ancient Woodland Inventory Scotland which lie within 300m of the scheme extents.

There are also no areas of woodland or individual trees covered by a Tree Preservation Order (TPO) within 300m of the scheme extents (LLTNP).

Surveys for protected species and INNS were carried out by Jacobs ecologists in May 2022 at this location ahead of separate works at the Rest and Be Thankful.

Surveyors from the BEAR Scotland Environment Team conducted an updated Preliminary Ecological Appraisal (PEA) on 28th June 2024.

Geology and soils

The scheme does not lie within 300m of any Geological Conservation Review Site (GCRS), or a geologically designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) (Sitelink).

Superficial deposit within the scheme extents is comprised of Till (Diamicton), with bedrock comprising of Beinn Bheula Schist formation (psammite and pelite) (BGS Geology Viewer).

The local soil type within the scheme extents are noted to be ‘peaty gleyed podzols with peaty gleys with dystrophic semi-confined peat’ (Scotland’s Environment Map).

Soils within the scheme extents are recorded as being ‘Class 3’ (peat soils) as displayed on Scotland’s Peat Map (Scotland’s Environment Map).

Material assets and waste

The proposed works are required to reduce flooding risk on the A83 carriageway and will require the following materials:

  • Drainage pipe
  • Brick built chamber
  • Filter material (reused)
  • Rodding eye

The value of the scheme does not exceed £350,000 and therefore a Site Waste Management Plan (SWMP) is not required.

Expected wastes will include old drainage system materials/pipes, and any waste material generated from excavation, which will be re-used on site where possible. Where this is not possible, this waste will be disposed of at a licenced facility.

Noise and vibration

Works are not located within a Candidate Noise Management Area (CNMA) or Candidate Quiet Areas (CQA).

The modelled 24 hour annual average noise level (LDEN) within the scheme extent range between 65 and 70 dB (ScotGov).

The baseline noise and vibration in the scheme extents is primarily influenced by vehicles travelling along the A83 trunk road and construction associated with the slope remediation works.

Population and human health

The scheme is located within a rural area with no properties lying within 300m of the scheme.

The scheme extent is within the A83 carriageway and surrounding verges. There is no pedestrian access to the scheme extents and no parking areas or laybys within scheme extents. However, the RaBT viewpoint carpark lies approximately 400m northwest of scheme extents, which offers numerous parking spaces, food catering vans and picnic benches/tables for visitors.

Traffic management (i.e. single lane closure with two way traffic lights) will be in place for the duration of works. Traffic management is often already in place at this site due to ongoing slope remediation works.

There are no National Cycle Network Routes (OS Maps), core paths (LLTNP Core Path Plan) or routes listed on WalkHighland which are located within 300m of the scheme.

Transport Scotland’s manual data counter (site name JTC08338) located on the A83 trunk road approximately 3.5km south from the scheme recorded an annual daily total (ADT) of 4,223 motor vehicles in 2024 of which 10.7% were Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs).

Road drainage and the water environment

Croe Water (ID: 10215) is a classified waterbody by Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) and lies approximately 250m south of the scheme. Croe Water has last been classified as having a ‘good’ overall status (2023) (SEPA Water Classification Hub).

No other classified watercourses lie within 300m of scheme extents; however, numerous unclassified waterbodies (field drains and minor tributaries) lie within 300m of the scheme, most of which discharge into Croe Water.

The scheme is underlain by the ‘Cowal and Lomond’ groundwater body, which was classified by SEPA in 2023 as having overall status of ‘good’ (SEPA Water Classification Hub). The groundwater body is also recorded as a Drinking Water Protected Area (DWPA) (Ground and Surface) (Scotland’s Environment).

A search of SEPA Flood Map showed high to low likelihood (10% to 0.1% chance each year) of surface water/small watercourse flooding within the scheme extents (SEPA Flood Maps).

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).