Description of local enviroment

Air quality

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

There are no air quality monitoring stations within 10km of the works (Air Quality Scotland). The closest air monitoring station is located within Fort William which is approximately 55km west of the scheme.

No sites registered on the Scottish Pollution Release Inventory (SPRI) are located within 10km of the scheme (Scottish Pollutant Release Inventory).

Baseline air quality in the study area is mainly influenced by vehicles travelling along the A889 trunk road. Secondary sources are derived from vehicles travelling along the local road network, nearby railway line and rural activities associated with land management within the area.

Cultural heritage

According to PastMap, the following cultural heritage features were identified within 300m of the scheme:

  • Category C Listed Building, ‘Dalwhinnie, Wade Bridge over River Truim’ (ref LB7665) lies approximately 220m south of the bridge. The bridge is also recorded as a Historic Environment Record (HER) and National Record of the Historic Environment (NRHE).

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

Construction of the A889 is likely to have removed any archaeological remains that may have been present within the area.

Landscape and visual effects

The scheme is located within the Cairngorms National Park (CNP), 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 is not located within a National Scenic Area (NSA) (SiteLink).

The scheme is located within a rural location on the A889, approximately 1.5km south of Dalwhinnie. The surrounding area is dominated by a combination of temperate shrub heathland, acid alpine, subalpine, extensive grassland, and coniferous woodland (plantation).

The Landscape Character Type (LCT) within the scheme extent is recorded as LCT 126 - Upland Glen - Cairngorms, which has the following key characteristics:

  • Strong evidence of glacial processes, including steepened sides and level floors, shattered rock faces on higher slopes, hummocks of resistant rock on some glen floors and terraces of glacial deposits at the edges of glen floors.
  • Often form arrival points into the Cairngorm National Park.
  • Size varies from large e open passes to narrower, more secluded glens.
  • Enclosed predominantly by steep slopes.
  • Frequently differing land-use on one side of the glen to the other – linked to aspect.
  • Improved, grazed fields on glen floors and floodplains.
  • Mostly settled, some only sparsely, but often extensive evidence of past settlement, including, prehistoric hut circles and associated field systems, pre-improvement townships, and seasonal shielings.
  • Some landmark historic buildings.
  • Access varies from narrow roads, estate and forestry tracks to main routes, but most have some form of road running through them.
  • Varied experience when passing through glens from open and expansive to sheltered and secluded.
  • Views to adjacent uplands; from which parts of the glens are visible and provide contrast.

The A889 Trunk Road connects Dalwhinnie with Laggan Bridge, predominantly acting as a link between the A9 and A86 Trunk Roads. It commences at (but excludes) its junction with the A9 at Dalwhinnie leading generally northwards for 14 kilometres to (but excludes) its junction with the A86 at Laggan Bridge. The A889 is a single carriageway along its length.

Biodiversity

The A889 Drochaid A’Bhacain bridge spans the River Truim, which forms part of the River Spey Special Area of Conservation (SAC) (NatureScot Site Code: 8365).

Drummochter Hills SAC (NatureScot Site Code: 8243) lies approximately 400m east of the scheme.

Drummochter Hills Special Protection Area (SPA) (NatureScot Site Code: 8491) lies approximately 400m east of the scheme.

Drummochter Hills Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) (NatureScot Site Code: 541) lies 100m east of the scheme.

Due to the location of the scheme which is within or has connectivity to the above designated sites, a Habitats Regulations Appraisal (HRA) was required to assess whether the proposed works could result in Likely Significant Effects (LSE) on the qualifying features of the above sites. In 2023, BEAR Scotland produced an HRA assessing potential impacts of various trunk road maintenance activities (including concrete/masonry repairs and in-stream scour works) on the River Spey and Drummochter Hills designated sites, in consultation with NatureScot. This HRA covers the proposed works at A889 Drochaid A’Bhacain bridge.

The NBN Atlas holds no records of invasive and injurious plant species (as listed in the Network Management Contract (NMC)) using the same search criteria. Additionally, Transport Scotland’s Asset Management Performance System (AMPS) holds no records of invasive and injurious plant species (as listed in the NMC) along the A889 within 300m of the scheme.

Habitats surrounding the A889 Drochaid A’Bhacain bridge are dominated by the riparian habitat which follows the course of the river Truim. Further afield, there is some temperate shrub heathland, acid, alpine, subalpine, and extensive grassland. Approximately 129 ha of coniferous woodland plantation lies 60m west of the bridge (at nearest point).

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

No Highland Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs) are located within 300m of the scheme.

Several site visits have been undertaken by, or on behalf of, BEAR Scotland NW Environment Team since 2018 to assess ecological constraints within 200m of the bridge.

Geology and soils

The scheme does not lie within a Geological Conservation Review Site (GCRS). The scheme lies approximately 100m east of Drummochter Hills SSSI (Site code: 541) which is partially designated for Fluvial Geomorphology of Scotland.

Bedrock within the scheme extents is recorded as Gaick Psammite Formation – Psammite, which is a metamorphic bedrock formed between 1000 and 541 million years ago between the Tonian and Ediacaran periods (BGS Geology Viewer).

Superficial deposits within the extents are recorded as Alluvium – Clay, silt, sand, and gravel, which are sedimentary superficial deposits formed between 11.8 thousand years ago and the present during the Quaternary period (BGS Geology Viewer).

The local soil type is recorded as peaty gleyed podzols (Scotland's Soils).

Soils within the scheme extent are recorded as being ‘Class 2’, as displayed on Scotland's Carbon and peatland 2016 map. Class 2 is described as nationally important carbon-rich soils, deep peat, and priority peatland habitat. Areas of potentially high conservation value and restoration potential.

Material assets and waste

The proposed works are required to rectify scour damage and deterioration of the culvert and wing walls. To ensure that the culvert remains structurally sound the following materials and plant will be used to complete scour repair works:

  • Concrete
  • Soluform bags
  • Rock armour
  • Spray applied concrete.
  • NHL Mortar
  • A252 mesh reinforcement
  • Sacrificial galvanic anodes
  • Stihl saw
  • Mechanical breaker
  • Vibrating poker
  • Tracked excavator
  • Concrete pump
  • Hydraulic pump

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

All wastes will be disposed of off-site at a suitably licensed facility.

Site compound for this scheme will be located within the lane closure at the structure.

Noise and vibration

The scheme extent is located within a rural area. For sensitive receptors within 300m of the scheme, refer to ‘Population and Human Health’ section below.

The works do not fall within a Candidate Noise Management Area (CNMA) as defined by the Transportation Noise Action Plan 2019-2023.

Baseline noise modelled data for day, evening, and night (Lden) within the scheme extents is recorded between 55dB and 65dB (Scottish Government's GeoNetwork Map).

Baseline noise levels are likely to be primarily influenced by traffic travelling along the A889 carriageway. Secondary sources are derived from vehicles travelling along the local road network, nearby railway line and rural activities associated with land management within the area.

Population and human health

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

Transport Scotland’s manual data counter (site name ATC01167) located approximately 7km north from the scheme, recorded an annual daily total (ADT) of 1,150 motor vehicles in 2024, of which 9.2% were Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs).

A section of the National Cycle Network (NCN) route 7 utilises the A889 trunk road within the scheme extents (OS Maps).

There are no core paths (Core Paths in Highland Council) or walking routes listed on Walkhighlands within 300m of the scheme.

There are no paved footpaths, bus stops, or other pedestrian facilities along the A889 throughout the scheme extent. However, the Highland Main Line railway line runs parallel to the A889 and lies approximately 30m west of the scheme.

Road drainage and the water environment

The A889 Drochaid A’Bhacain bridge spans the River Truim. The River Truim from source to Allt Cuaich confluence is a river (ID: 23638), in the river Spey catchment of the Scotland River basin district. The main stem is approximately 15.6 kilometres in length. The water body has been designated as a heavily modified water body on account of physical alterations that cannot be addressed without a significant impact on water storage for hydroelectricity generation. It is has been classified by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) as having an overall classification of ‘moderate ecological importance’ in 2023 under the Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC (WFD) (Water Classification Hub).

Several minor tributaries and drainage channels lie within 300m of the scheme.

The scheme falls within the ‘Strathnairn, Speyside, and Cairngorms’ (ID 150709) groundwater body which has been classified by SEPA in 2023 as having ‘Good’ overall condition. Groundwater bodies are also designated as Drinking Water Protected Areas (Ground) (DWPA).

The SEPA indicative surface water online flood mapping tool records that the scheme falls within an area that has a high likelihood of river water flooding each year (10% chance).

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).