Description of local enviroment

Air quality

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

No 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 records 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.

The average annual daily flow (AADF) of traffic in 2024 on the A830 carriageway as provided by Transport Scotland, was recorded as 9,352 vehicles, of which 6.8% were heavy goods vehicles (HGVs).

Cultural heritage

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

There is one National Record of the Historic Environment (NRHE) and Historic Environment Record (HERs) within 300m of the scheme extent, which lies on the opposite side of the adjacent Loch Eilt (Loch Eilt Farmstead).

Construction of the A830 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 does not lie within a National Park or a National Scenic Area (NSA).

The Landscape Character Type (LCT) within the study area is ‘Rugged Massif - Lochaber’ (no. 238) (Scottish Landscape Character Types). This LCT is characterised by:

  • Rugged character, a crinkled skyline and a landform accentuated by rocky outcrops and glacial debris.
  • Large rocky masses drawing the eye upwards to ice-scoured rounded summits.
  • Often a transitional landscape with indistinct boundaries with other Landscape Character Types.
  • Often in remote, unsettled and inaccessible locations which, combined with the rugged relief, accentuates the wild character of these areas.
  • Thin soils supporting sparse cover of grasses and heather on higher, drier slopes.
  • Birch scrub and some oak woodland on lower slopes and within burn gullies and hanging valleys.
  • Extensive sheep and deer grazing with stalking and hill walking as popular activities.
  • Forestry occurring over small areas on flatter, lower slopes.

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

The land surrounding the trunk road is classified as 6.2 – ‘Land capable of use as rough grazing with moderate quality plants’ (Scotland’s soils).

The A830 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 extent lies within the boundary of the Moidart and Ardgour 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), Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) or Local Nature Reserves (LNRs) within 300m of, or which share connectivity with, the scheme extent (SiteLink).

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

The Ancient Woodland Inventory Scotland records one area of ancient woodland, classified as ancient (of semi-natural origin), as lying adjacent to the scheme extent.

Geology and soils

There are no Local Geodiversity Sites (LGS) or geological Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) with connectivity to the scheme.

There is one Geological Conservation Review Site (GCRS) located within the scheme extent. The ‘Fassfern to Loch Ailort Road Cuttings’ GCRS lies within the footprint of the works.

The British Geological Survey online mapping tool records that the bedrock geology within the scheme extents is recorded as:

  • Lochailort Pelite Formation – Psammite
  • Reidh Psammite Formation – Psammite and Pelite

The mapping tool does not record any superficial deposits within the scheme extents.

Soils within the scheme extent are recorded as being ‘Class 4’ as displayed on Scotland’s Peat Map. Class 4 is considered to be predominantly mineral soil with some peat soil.

Works will be restricted to previously engineered ground within the A830 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 59 and 64dB on the road (ScotGov).

Baseline noise and vibration in the study area is mainly influenced by vehicles travelling along the A830 trunk road.

Population and human health

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

There are no laybys, access roads or footpaths within 300m of the scheme extent. Street lighting is not present within the scheme extent.

There are no Core paths, walking routes, as listed on WalkHighlands, or National Cycle Network (NCN) routes within 300m of the scheme extent.

The A830 Trunk Road connects Fort William with Mallaig. It commences at the A828 / A82 junction in Fort William leading generally westwards for a distance of 70 kilometres to (and including) the B8008 Station Road Roundabout in Mallaig. The A830 is a single carriageway along its length.

Road drainage and the water environment

The A830 carriageway is located along Loch Eilt (ID: 100206) at a distance of 40m. This lake 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, including one being culverted below the A830 carriageway within the scheme extent.

A search of the SEPA Flood Map identifies that there is a high risk of surface water flooding within the scheme extents, with a 10% 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 ‘Fort William’ groundwater body, which has been classified as ‘Good’. The scheme falls into a Drinking Water Protected Area for groundwater.

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).