Description of local environment

Air quality

The scheme does not lie within 10km of an Air Quality Management Area (Scottish Air Quality) or within 10km of any Air Quality Monitoring Stations (Scottish Air Quality).

There are no records on the Scottish Pollutant Release Inventory (SPRI) within 10km of the scheme.

Baseline air quality for this scheme is likely primarily influenced by traffic along the A830 trunk road. Secondary releases are likely delivered by agricultural activities within the surrounding area.

Cultural heritage

A search of the PastMap online cultural heritage mapping tool revealed that there are several Historic Environment Records (HERs) and National Historic Environment Records (NRHEs) within 300m of the scheme. The closest feature is a hotel recorded on both HER and NRHE and lies directly adjacent to the scheme extent:

  • Glenfinnan, Stage House Inn (HER Reference: MHG22157; NRHE Reference: 106619)

Two category B Listed Buildings lie within 300m of the scheme. ‘Glenfinnan Railway Station, Ticket Office/ Waiting Room and Signal Box’ (Reference: LB312) lies approximately 56m north of the scheme. ‘Kinlocheil, Druim Na Saille Bridge Over Fionn Lighe River’ (Reference: LB7072) lies approximately 65m southeast of the scheme.

No Scheduled Monuments, Garden & Designed Landscapes, Conservation Areas, Battlefield or World Heritage sites were recorded within 300m of the scheme.

The construction of the A830 trunk road is likely to have exposed any potential items of cultural heritage interest present within the upper engineered layers; as such, the likelihood of presence of undiscovered features is considered to be low.

Landscape and visual effects

The scheme does not lie within any National Parks (NPs) (SiteLink).

However, six of the ten sections of the scheme extent (section 3-8) are located within Loch Sheil National Scenic Area (NSA) (Site code: 9138), which has the following special qualities:

  • A fine, long loch, leading into the heart of remote and rugged mountains
  • A rich cover of woodland, forest and trees
  • Variety and interest from the ever-changing topography and shoreline
  • The hidden glens
  • One of the largest undisturbed lochs in Scotland and a haven for wildlife
  • Nationally recognisable landmark and enduring cultural icon.

The scheme lies within two Landscape Character Types (LCTs):

  • The east end of the scheme lies within LCT 234 ’Lochs with Settled Edges’
  • The west end, and majority of the scheme, lies within LCT 238 ‘Rugged Massif – Lochaber’

Lochs with Settled Edges (LCT 234) has the following key characteristics:

  • 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.

Rugged Massif - Lochaber (LCT 238) has the following key characteristics:

  • 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 surrounding the scheme is comprised of multiple land uses, as follows (HLA map):

  • Rough grazing
  • Plantation
  • Managed woodland
  • Urban area

However, the majority of the scheme lies within ‘Rough grazing’.

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. The scheme lies approximately 15km west of Fort William.

Biodiversity

Loch Shiel Special Protection Area (SPA) (NatureScot site code: 8539) and overlaps with the scheme on a small section on the eastern end of the scheme.

Ardgour Pinewoods Special Area of Conservation (SAC) (NatureScot site code: 8189). The boundary of the SAC lies within the scheme extents in the middle section of the scheme (primarily within section 3).

Moidart and Ardgour SPA (NatureScot site code: 10115) lies approximately 140m south of the scheme on the eastern end of the scheme (within section 4).

Loch Moidart and Loch Shiel Woods SAC (NatureScot site code: 8300). The SAC lies approximately 1.8km south of the scheme.

A Habitats Regulations Appraisal (HRA) has been undertaken to assess the potential effects of the works on the qualifying features of all sites listed above. Refer to the Biodiversity Impacts and Mitigation section below.

Ardgour Pinewoods SSSI slightly overlaps the scheme within the middle section, however, the large majority of the SSSI lies approximately 140m south of the scheme.

Loch Shiel SSSI overlaps the scheme boundary at numerous points within the middle section of the scheme.

No other SSSIs are located within 300m of the scheme.

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

Under the same search criteria, the NBN Atlas holds no records of invasive non-native species (INNS) or injurious weeds.

Transport Scotland’s Asset Management Performance System (AMPS) holds numerous records of the following injurious weeds within the scheme extent:

  • Common ragwort (Jacobaea vulgaris)
  • Rosebay willowherb (Chamaenerion angustifolium)

Habitat surrounding the scheme is dominated by woodland, agricultural areas, sporadic urban areas, Loch Shiel just south of the scheme, and tributaries to Loch Shiel culverted beneath the scheme.

Numerous areas of woodland within the Ancient Woodland Inventory (AWI) lie within 300m of the scheme; the following overlap with the scheme extent:

  • No site name (Wood ID: 13968) – Within Sections 1 and 10
  • No site name (Wood ID: 13976) - Within Sections 1 and 10
  • No site name (Wood ID: 13972) - Within Sections 1 and 10
  • No site name (Wood ID: 13970) - Within Sections 1 and 10
  • No site name (Wood ID: 40) - Within Sections 4 and 6

Highland Council do not have any records of Tree Preservation Orders within 300m of the scheme.

The BEAR Scotland Environment Team undertook surveys of the scheme extent between 28/07/2026 and 29/07/2026.

Geology and soils

The entire scheme lies within the Geological Conservation Review Site (GCRS) Fassfern to Loch Ailort Road Cuttings (Site code: 9581).

Bedrock Geology within the scheme extent is recorded as (BGS):

  • Druim Na Saille Pelite Formation-Pelite
  • West Highland Granite Gneiss Intrusion-Gneissose granite
  • Beinn An Tuim Striped Formation-Psammite and pelite

Superficial Deposits within the scheme extent are recorded as (BGS):

  • Hummocky (Moundy) Glacial Deposits-Diamicton, sand and gravel
  • Peat-Peat. These sedimentary deposits are lacustrine and palustrine in origin

Component soils within the scheme extent are classed as Peaty gleyed podzols with peaty gleys with peaty rankers, and peaty gleyed podzols with dystrophic semi-confined peat with peaty gleys (Scotland’s Soils).

The surrounding area lies within the following Carbon and Peatland classes (Scotland's Soils):

  • 5 - peat soil with no peatland vegetation
  • 2 – peat soil with potential to be restored
  • 1 - peat soil
  • 4 - predominantly mineral soil with some peat soil

Material assets and waste

The vegetation works are necessary to ensure public safety by removing encroaching vegetation that is obscuring forward visibility and obstructing signs, junctions, and laybys.

No materials are required for this scheme.

The value of the scheme does not exceed £350,000; therefore, a Site Waste Management Plan (SWMP) is not required and will not be completed as part of these works.

A site compound is not required for this scheme.

As the majority of trees will not be fit for sawn timber, they will be chipped for biomass or removed from site to a licenced waste contractor for shredding to be repurposed as chipboard. Where possible, some felled vegetation may be left in ‘habitat piles’ to improve habitat quality of designated sites and associated invertebrates.

Noise and vibration

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

LDEN or ‘day, evening, night average noise levels’ are modelled within the scheme extent. Noise levels are recorded as being between 65-75dB on the A830 carriageway (Noise map | Scotland's Noise).

Given the semi-rural nature of the area, it is considered likely that the baseline noise will be low, with noise mainly influenced by the traffic travelling along the A830 carriageway. Secondary noise influences are likely to arise from local agricultural and tourism activities.

Population and human health

Numerous properties lie within 300m of the scheme, the closest of which lies approximately 5m north of the scheme.

Public assets within the scheme extent are primarily concentrated towards the western end of the scheme (excluding laybys), with the majority of the route otherwise bordered by woodland that provides both visual and acoustic screening. The southbound carriageway contains five access ways, four junctions and five laybys, while the northbound carriageway contains nine access ways, four junctions and two laybys. There are no bus stops or street lighting located within the scheme extent. A pedestrian pathway is present along sections of the scheme; however, it does not extend continuously throughout the full length of the works.

A railway line runs parallel to the A830 along the entirety of the scheme and passes directly beneath the scheme.

There are no National Cycle Network routes (OS Maps) within the scheme extents.

There are numerous Core Paths within 300m of the scheme, the closest of which are two that run directly adjacent to the scheme

  • ‘Car park to Callop’ (Reference: LO10.03)
  • ‘Pavement on A830’ (Reference: LO10.05)

There are three routes listed on WalkHighlands that lies within the scheme extent:

  • ‘Glenfinnan Viaduct trail’
  • ‘Fort William to Glenfinnan’
  • ‘Sgurr Thuilm and Sgurr nan Coireachan’

The latest vehicle traffic counter recording the Average Daily traffic (ADT) count on the A830 nearest to the scheme lies approximately 16.35km west of the scheme (Site ID: 000000001070) and counted an ADT of 9,308 vehicles in 2025 with 7% of these being Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs).

Road drainage and the water environment

The scheme is underpinned by Fort William groundwater (ID: 150696), in the Scotland river basin district. It is 2,274.7 square kilometres in area and was given an overall status of ‘Good’ in 2024 by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) under the Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC (WFD).

Fionn Lighe river (ID: 20382), in the Ardgour Coastal catchment of the Scotland river basin district is spanned by the scheme. The main stem is approximately 11.2km in length and was given and overall status of ‘Good’ in 2024 by SEPA.

Dubh Ligh river (ID: 20383), in the Ardgour Coastal catchment of the Scotland river basin district is spanned by the scheme. The main stem is approximately 12.9km in length and was given an overall status of ‘Moderate’ in 2024 by SEPA.

River Finnan river (ID: 20413), in the River Shiel catchment of the Scotland river basin district is spanned by scheme. The main stem is approximately 8.6km in length and was given an overall status of ‘Moderate’ in 2024 by SEPA.

Callop River is a river (ID: 20418), in the River Shiel catchment of the Scotland river basin district lies 13m south at the nearest point. The main stem is approximately 8.5km in length and was given an overall status of ‘Poor’ in 2024 by SEPA.

Loch Shiel Lake (ID: 100208), in the River Shiel catchment of the Scotland river basin district lies approximately 123m south of scheme at the nearest point. It is 19.9km² in area and was given an overall status of ‘Good’ in 2024 by SEPA.

There are numerous watercourses (unclassified by SEPA) that are culverted below the A830 and discharge into Loch Shiel.

Throughout the scheme, there are numerous areas that have a high likelihood (10% chance each year) of flooding due to river flooding and surface water and small watercourses (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).