Description of local environment

Air quality

The schemes do not fall within any Air Quality Management Areas (AQMA) (Air Quality Management Areas) declared by the Highland Council. No Air Quality Monitoring Stations are located within 10km of the works (Scottish Air Quality). Due to the semi-rural nature of both schemes, pollution levels are not expected to be high.

No sites registered on the Scottish Pollutant Release Inventory (SPRI) (Scottish Pollution Release Inventory) for air pollutant releases are located within 10km of the works.

A Transport Scotland Road Traffic counter for the A86 carriageway within Spean Bridge (site number ATC01049) located approximately 9km east from the works, recorded an annual average daily flow total of 2,706 motor vehicles in 2024, of which 11% were Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs).

Baseline air quality at both scheme locations is likely to be primarily influenced by traffic along the A86 trunk road, with secondary sources likely to arise from nearby agricultural and forestry practices.

Cultural heritage

There are no World Heritage Sites, Scheduled Monuments, Garden and Designed Landscapes, Conservation Areas, Listed Buildings or Inventory Battlefields identified within 300m of either scheme (Pastmap).

Of lesser cultural heritage interest, Historic Environment Records (HER) and Canmore features are recorded within 300m of both schemes. ‘Tulloch’ is recorded as both a Historic Environment Record (HER) and a Canmore feature and is located approximately 250m southeast of the A86 West of Tulloch Farm scheme extent, and Glenspean Lodge Hotel is located approximately 20m north of the A86 carriageway at A86 Monessie (also recorded as both a HER and Canmore).

As a result of the works taking place strictly within the existing man-made footprint, it has been determined that the proposed project does not carry the potential to cause direct or indirect impact to features of cultural heritage importance.

As such, impact has been assessed as being ‘no change’ and has been scoped out of requiring further assessment.

Landscape and visual effects

A86 West of Tulloch Farm and A86 Monessie are located approximately 4.5km and 2km east of Roybridge respectively, both located within the Highland Council and surrounded predominantly by areas of woodland. The River Spean, areas of agricultural grassland, and several dispersed residential properties are located in the wider surrounding area. The West Highland Railway Line (Crianlarich to Mallaig) travels adjacent to the A86 carriageway at both schemes, approximately 15m south at its closest point.

The schemes do not fall within any National Parks (NP) or National Scenic Areas (NSA) (SiteLink).

The Landscape Character Type (LCT) within the scheme extents is given as both Broad Forested Strath (LCT No. 235) (Landscape Character Types), and Rugged Massif - Lochaber (LCT No. 238), which have the following key characteristics:

Broad Forested Strath:

  • Broad, low-lying straths with rolling relief and sculptural glacial landforms.
  • Simple, large-scale mosaic of forested ridges, rolling pastures and heather moorland, but dominated by swathes of forestry.
  • A comparatively densely settled landscape with villages, houses and sporadic commercial development.
  • Quarries hidden amongst the woodland cover.
  • Strong communication and service corridors.
  • Long distance views from surrounding hills over the glens, which are framed by steep glen sides.
  • Lochs, rivers or canals on glen floor have often been engineered or substantially altered by man.

Rugged Massif – Lochaber:

  • 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.

Biodiversity

Both scheme extents lie within Parallel Roads of Lochaber Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) (Site Code: 1272), which is designated for the following earth science features:

  • ‘Fluvial Geomorphology of Scotland’ (favourable maintained condition); and
  • ‘Quaternary of Scotland’ (Partially destroyed condition).

Negative pressures on these features include development and dumping/storage of materials (SiteLink).

Habitat surrounding the scheme consists predominantly of woodland (Scotland’s Environment).

Considering the lack of habitat diversity within the trunk road boundary and the moderate traffic density at the scheme extent, it is considered unlikely that any terrestrial mammal species of conservation importance are associated with permanent habitat or resting places within the area of likely construction disturbance.

Due to the lack of suitable habitat for permanent shelter or temporary resting places within proximity of the scheme, a field survey has been ruled out, and a desktop study has been deemed sufficient for this assessment.

No invasive non-native plant species (INNS), injurious weeds, or invasive perennials have been recorded within 2km of the scheme, either on the NBN Atlas, or on Transport Scotland’s Asset Management Performance System (AMPS).

Several areas of woodland as listed on the Ancient Woodland Inventory (AWI) Scotland (all within the Lochaber district) are located within proximity of both schemes; the closest of which is located adjacent to the eastbound carriageway for the full A86 West of Tulloch Farm scheme extent (Ancient Woodland Inventory).

Geology and soils

Both scheme extents lie within Parallel Roads of Lochaber SSSI, which is designated for earth science features as noted in the Biodiversity section above.

Both schemes also fall within the Geological Conservation Review Site (GCRS) ‘Glen Roy and the Parallel Roads of Lochaber’, which shares a similar boundary line to the geologically designated ‘Parallel Roads of Lochaber’ SSSI.

The generalised soil type at both scheme locations is identified as humus-iron podzols (Scotland’s Soils).

A desktop study using the British Geological Survey Map (BGS Geology Viewer) identifies the local geology type as a combination of the following:

  • Bedrock Geology:
    • Eilde Flags Formation (micaceous psammite and semipelite), which is a metamorphic bedrock.
    • Leven Schist Formation (Pelite and calcsilicate-rock), which is a metamorphic bedrock.
    • Ben Nevis Dyke Swarm (Microdiorite), which is an igneous bedrock.
  • Superficial Deposits:
    • Glaciofluvial Deposits (gravel, sand and silt), which are sedimentary superficial deposits.

Material assets and waste

The proposed works will entail resurfacing and re-instatement of road markings. Materials used will consist of:

  • Asphaltic material
  • Road-marking paint
  • Bituminous emulsion bond coat
  • Milled in road studs

Wastes are anticipated to be planings from the carriageway surface course and excavated drainage material. Planings will be fully recovered for re-use in line with BEAR Scotland’s Procedure 126: The Production of Fully Recovered Asphalt Road Planings, where not contaminated with coal tar. The Contractor is responsible for the disposal of road planings and this has been 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 (exemption numbers WML/XS/2011961 (A86 West of Tulloch Farm) and WML/XS/2011169 (A86 Monessie)). In addition, a waste exemption is required for the deposit of dredged waste (Paragraph 25), which has been obtained for the West of Tulloch Farm scheme and will be obtained as required for the Monessie scheme.

Investigations are yet to be undertaken; however, coal tar is not expected to be present within planings removed from the scheme extent.

Noise and vibration

Details of human receptors are included below within the ‘Population and human health’ section.

A86 West of Tulloch Farm and A86 Monessie are located approximately 4.5km and 2km east of Roybridge respectively, both located within the Highland Council.

The works do not fall within a Candidate Noise Management Area (CNMA) as defined by the Transportation Noise Action Plan (Road Maps) (Transportation Noise Action Plan (TNAP)).

Baseline noise levels within both schemes are likely to be primarily influenced by traffic travelling along the A86 trunk road, with secondary influences from nearby agricultural and forestry practices.

Population and human health

Several properties are located within 300m of both schemes, including residential properties and commercial accommodation. The closest residential property lies approximately 10m southwest from the A86 carriageway, at A86 Monessie and Glenspean Lodge Hotel is located approximately 20m north of the A86 carriageway, at A86 Monessie.

Several access points fall within the scheme extent, which provide access to the adjacent train line, local forestry tracks, properties and Cille Choirill Church & Graveyard. One parking layby is located within the A86 West of Tulloch scheme extents.

There are no Core Paths (Highland Council), routes listed on WalkHighlands, or routes listed on the National Cycle Network (OS Maps) within either scheme extent.

TM for both schemes is expected to consist of single lane closures and TTL/convoy systems.

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

Road drainage and the water environment

River Spean (ID: 20346) flows adjacent to the westbound A86 carriageway for the full extent of both schemes, at a distance of approximately 30m south at its closest point. This waterbody has been classified by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) under the Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC (WFD) in 2023 as ‘Good ecological potential’ (Water Classification Hub).

Several minor watercourses (unclassified by SEPA) are culverted below and flow within proximity of the A86 carriageway within both scheme extents.

The schemes fall within three groundwater bodies; ‘Spean and Lochy sand and gravel’ (ID: 150776), and ‘Upper Glen Coe’ (ID: 150693) underly the A86 West of Tulloch Farm scheme and ‘Kinlochleven’ (ID: 150684 underlies the A86 Monessie scheme; all of which were classified by SEPA in 2023 as having an overall status of ‘Good’ (Water Classification Hub).

Both schemes are located within a groundwater Drinking Water Protected Area (DWPA) (Scotland's Environment).

No risk of river or coastal water flooding exists on the A86 within either scheme extents. (SEPA Flood Map).

Sections of the A86 carriageway at A86 Monessie fall within an area that has a high likelihood (10%) of surface and small watercourse flooding each year (SEPA Flood Maps).

Climate

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).