Description of local environment

Air quality

There are no Air Quality Management Areas (AQMA) (Air Quality Management Areas) or Air Quality Monitoring Stations (Scottish Air Quality) within 10km of the scheme. Sites monitoring air quality in the wider areas record bandings to be within the ‘green zone’ (Low Index 1-3) indicating good baseline air quality.

There are no sites (which record air pollutant releases) listed on the Scottish Pollution Release Inventory (SPRI) within 10km of the scheme.

Baseline air quality within the scheme extents is primarily influenced by emissions from traffic on the A86 trunk road, local roads and urban activity associated with Newtonmore.

Cultural heritage

A search using the cultural heritage tool Pastmap revealed that a Listed Building ‘Newtonmore, Craigmhor Hotel’ (Reference: LB7672) lies approximately 200m east of the scheme.

A number of features of lesser cultural value such as Historical Environment Records (HERs) and National Records of the Historic Environment (NRHEs) were identified within 300m of the scheme; the nearest of these is an HER ‘Newtonmore, General’ (Reference: MHG23899) and lies approximately 120m northwest of the scheme.

There are no Scheduled Monuments, Battlefields, Garden and Designed Landscapes, Conservation Areas or World Heritage Sites within 300m of the scheme.

Landscape and visual effects

The scheme lies within the Cairngorms National Park (CNP; NatureScot Site Code: 8623), which has the following Special General Qualities:

  • Magnificent mountains towering over moorland, forest and strath
  • Vastness of space, scale and height
  • Strong juxtaposition of contrasting landscapes
  • A landscape of layers, from inhabited strath to remote, uninhabited upland
  • ‘The harmony of complicated curves’
  • Landscapes both cultural and natural

The scheme does not lie within any National Scenic Areas (NSA), National Nature Reserves (NNR) or Local Nature Reserves (LNR) (SiteLink).

The scheme is located within an area classed as ‘Urban area’ which is defined as cities, towns and large villages with their housing, individual shops and places of education or worship, as well as prisons and hospitals, municipal buildings and hotels are noted as urban areas. Very small clusters of houses in the countryside are also included (HLA Map). 

The scheme is located within the Landscape Character Type (LCT) 127 ‘Upland Strath’ which has the following key characteristics:

  • Large, broad, flat bottomed strath, with some narrower pinch-point sections.
  • Valley floor with the meandering River Spey and frequent lochs and marshes.
  • Meadows and wetlands prone to flooding on the valley floor.
  • Mixed pastures and broadleaved woodland in more undulating areas.
  • Wetlands flanked by mixed woodland and conifer forests.
  • Main communication corridor housing A9 trunk road and railway.
  • Estate houses and policy landscapes in many parts of the strath.
  • A well-settled area with a series of settlements occurs along the northern side of the strath at bridging points over the River Spey. They are popular tourist destinations serving the Cairngorms National Park. Elsewhere farms and houses are frequent along main and minor roads.
  • Views to the Cairngorm mountains.
  • Noise and activity from busy A9.

The A86 Trunk Road connects Spean Bridge and Kingussie. It commences at the A86 / A82 junction within Spean Bridge leading generally north-eastwards for 65 kilometres to its junction with the A9. The A86 is a single carriageway along its length.

Biodiversity

The River Spey Special Area of Conservation (SAC) (NatureScot Site Code: 8365) lies approximately 500m southwest of the scheme.

The River Spey – Insh Marshes Ramsar site (NatureScot Site Code: 8452), Insh Marshes SAC (NatureScot Site Code: 8274) and River Spey – Insh Marshes Special Protection Area (SPA) (NatureScot Site Code: 8571) all lie approximately 1.2km east of the scheme.

There is ecological connectivity between the area of works and the River Spey – Insh Marshes Ramsar site and the River Spey – Insh Marshes SPA due to the mobile nature of the designated features, which may utilise areas within the vicinity of works. As such, a Habitats Regulations Appraisal (HRA) Proforma was completed.

The scheme extent is located within an urbanised area with no identified ecological connectivity (via waterways) between the area of works and the River Spey SAC or the Insh Marshes SAC due to the nature of the qualifying species and highly localised area of works. Refer to the Description of Main Environmental Impacts and Proposed Mitigation - Biodiversity section below.

There are no Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) within 300m of the scheme (SiteLink).

Under the same search criteria, the NBN Atlas holds the following records of invasive and injurious weeds (as listed in the Network Management Contract (NMC):

  • Broad-leaved dock (Rumex obtusifolius)
  • Common ragwort (Jacobaea vulgaris)
  • Creeping thistle (Cirsium arvense)
  • Rosebay willowherb (Chamaenerion augustifolium)
  • Spear thistle (Cirsium vulgare)

A search on the Transport Scotland Asset Management Performance System (AMPS) holds no records of any injurious weeds or invasive non-native species (INNS).

The scheme extent is located within an urbanised area, with residential properties and their associated gardens on either side of the A86. Habitat in proximity to the scheme is therefore highly limited, restricted to individual trees and tree strips along property boundaries. Freshwater habitat near the scheme is largely absent, with the nearest freshwater feature, Loch na Leoba, located 185m north, beyond a dense belt of residential development.

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

The ‘Laggan Road’ (TPO number HRC08C) Tree Preservation Order (TPO) lies directly adjacent to the scheme.

The proposed works comprise the installation of a 23m long section of a footpath to link existing pedestrian facilities. Pedestrians are currently walking on a uneven, grassy verge adjacent to the A86 which may cause a safety issue. In addition, the works lie within an urbanised area with no suitable habitat for permanent resting places for sensitive species present. Given the limited habitat for protected species in proximity to the scheme, an environmental site visit was not considered necessary.

Geology and soils

The scheme does not lie within a Geological Conservation Review Site (GCRS), or a geologically designated SSSI (NatureScot Sitelink).

Bedrock Geology within the scheme is listed as ‘Loch Laggan Psammite Formation-Micaceous psammite’ which is rocks of a sedimentary origin (BGS Geology Viewer).

Superficial deposits within the scheme are listed as ‘Glaciofluvial sheet deposits-Sand, gravel and boulders’ (BGS Geology Viewer).

Component soils within the scheme are listed as humus-iron podzols (Scotland’s Soils).

The soils within the scheme extent are recorded as being of Carbon and Peatland ‘Class 0’, which refers to mineral soils where peatland habitats are not typically found on such soils (Scotland’s Peatland Map).

Material assets and waste

The proposed works will entail the installation of a new footway link with material used to consist of:

  • New kerbs
  • Footway Type 1 materials
  • Bitumen seal

Excavated earth material will be reused within the scheme extents with the remaining to be disposed of in a licenced waste facility.

Noise and vibration

The scheme does not fall within a Candidate Noise Management Area (CNMA) as defined by the Transportation Noise Action Plan (TNAP) (transportation-noise-action-plan).

Noise modelled data from Environmental Noise Directive (END) Round 4 Noise Mapping Indicates 24 hour annual average noise level (Lden) between 60 and 65dB on the A86 at the scheme location (Scotland's Noise).

It is expected that the baseline noise levels within the scheme extents are mainly influenced by vehicles travelling along the trunk road and local road, and urban activities within the village of Newtonmore.

Population and human health

The scheme lies within an urban area dominated by residential properties. Residential properties and their associated gardens lie on either side of the A86 at the scheme with the nearest being 10m northeast. Properties situated nearest to the scheme have no or only limited screening from the works provided by individual trees, ornamental shrubs and hedging where present.

Three access ways are located within the scheme extent, with one situated on the north end of the scheme, and two located at the south end. The southern access way serves a residential area and a single residential property, while the northern access way provides access to a single residential property. In addition, a number of access ways and junctions are present within 300m of the scheme extent.

Paved pedestrian footpaths are present south and north of the scheme with the scheme extents linking these via grassed verge.

Street lighting is present along the full extent of the scheme.

The National Cycle Network (NCN) 7 lies parallel to the scheme 65m south of the works.

There are no routes listed on WalkHighlands or Core Paths within 300m of the scheme.

No other public assets, such as bus stops are located within the scheme extent.

A traffic vehicle counter nearest to the scheme lies 475m west, ‘A86 Laggan to Newtonmore (Site ID: 0000ATC01051), and recorded and Average Dailly Traffic (ADT) count of 1,021 vehicles, 19.9% of which were Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) in 2025.

Road drainage and the water environment

The scheme is underpinned by the Upper Spey Sand and Gravel groundwater (ID: 150814). It is 252.4 square kilometres in area and was classified by Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) under the Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC (WFD) as having an overall status of ‘Good’ in 2024.

No surface waterbodies classified by SEPA under the WFD lie within 300m of the scheme.

Loch na Leoaba (unclassified by SEPA) lies approximately 185m north of the scheme. There is no hydrological connectivity between the scheme and Loch na Leoaba.

The River Calder is a river (ID: 23145) in the River Spey catchment of the Scotland river basin district and lies approximately 500m west of the scheme. The main stem is approximately 30.5 kilometres in length and forms a part of the River Spey SAC at this location. It was given an overall status of ‘Moderate’ in 2024 by SEPA. There is no hydrological connectivity between the scheme and the River Calder.

One area listed as having a high likelihood (10% chance each year) of surface water and small watercourse flooding is located 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).