Description of local environment

Air quality

The scheme extents cover a semi-rural stretch of the A9 carriageway north of Dunblane, within Stirling. Baseline air quality is likely to be influenced primarily by traffic flow along the A9, with secondary sources from rail, agricultural and residential activities.

Annual Average Daily Flow (AADF) in 2024 along the A9, within the scheme extents (site number: 80405) was counted at 29,457 total vehicles, with 22,875 (9.8%) Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs).

Local Authorities across the UK are responsible for monitoring air quality and ensuring compliance with national objectives. Where these objectives are not met, they must declare an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) and implement a corresponding management action plan. At the time of writing, Stirling Council has not currently declared any AQMAs. There are no real-time air quality monitoring stations (Air Quality in Scotland) or any sites on the Scottish Pollutant Release Inventory (SPRI) located within 1km of the scheme extents.

There are approximately 30 air quality-sensitive receptors located within 200m, comprising residential and agricultural properties. The closest is located 80m north (grid reference NN 77442 02277).

Cultural heritage

A desktop study using PastMap has been undertaken, where an asset has been listed more than once, its highest statutory designation has been recorded. This refers to designations including World Heritage Sites, Scheduled Monuments, Battlefields and Listed Buildings.

No statutory cultural heritage features are located within the scheme footprint, or within 300m. The closest is a Battlefield, Battle Of Sheriffmuir (BTL17), and associated Listed Buildings located over 500m east of the scheme extents.

Historic Environment Records (HERs) and National Record of the Historic Environment (NRHE) provide local and national level information on Scotland’s historic environment. There are four records listed on the HER and NRHE located within 200m, however, none are located within the scheme extents.

Landscape and visual effects

Landscape

The scheme lies within a semi-rural setting, characterised by woodland, arable and grazing agricultural land, and sporadic residential properties lining the carriageway.

One unnamed area of Ancient (of semi-natural origin) woodland designated under the Ancient Woodland Inventory (AWI) is located adjacent to the scheme extents, approximately 5m south of the carriageway (centred at NN 77807 02268) (Scotland’s Environment Map). No other landscape designations, including Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs), Garden Designed Landscapes (GDLs) or National Scenic Areas (NSAs) are present within 500m.

The scheme falls within the Lowland River Valleys - Central Landscape Character Type (LCT 152), defined by well-defined corridors, flat valley floors, commanding hills and a high tree cover with roadside vegetation and semi-natural woodland.

Visual

There are no constant visual receptors of the scheme due to the topography and general landscape arrangement. Transient visual receptors include road users (motorists and public transport users) travelling along the A9, who will experience brief and intermittent views of the scheme.

Biodiversity

Protected areas

There are no European sites located within 2km, or with potential hydrological connectivity to the scheme (Sitelink). No local or nationally designated biodiversity sites are located within 1km, such as Local and National Nature Reserves.

Field survey

An ecological field survey has been scoped out by a qualified ecologist due to the transient nature of the works and their containment within the trunk road boundary, indicating a low likelihood of significant ecological impact.

Invasive plants

Transport Scotland’s Asset Management Performance System (AMPS) has recorded giant hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum), an invasive non-native species (INNS) along a 222m stretch of the A9 southbound carriageway verge adjacent to the scheme extents.

Rosebay willowherb (Chamerion angustifolium) a Transport Scotland target species has been recorded along the southbound verge, adjacent to the scheme extents (AMPS).

Geology and soils

Geology

There are no Geological Conservation Review Sites (GCRS), or geological SSSIs located within 300m (Sitelink).

Bedrock geology comprises sedimentary sandstone of the Dunblane Sandstone Member, dating from 419.2 to 393.3 million years ago (Mya) during the Devonian period. Superficial deposits are made up of sedimentary glaciofluvial ice contacts deposits of gravel, sand and silt, formed during the Quaternary period, and Devensian till (British Geological Survey Geology Viewer).

The scheme is located within a moderately productive aquifer, yielding moderate amounts of groundwater locally (GeoIndex - British Geological Survey).

Soils

The local soil type within scheme extents is recorded as brown earths (Scotland’s Soils).

All works are contained to the engineered layers of the existing carriageway, resulting in limited potential for disturbance to geology and soils. As such, geology and soils has been scoped out of requiring further assessment in line with DMRB Guidance document LA 109: Geology and soils.

Material assets and waste

Materials

Resurfacing will use Transport Scotland’s TS2010 hot-mix asphalt (HMA) specification with AC binder and base layers. Warm-mix asphalt (WMA) is not proposed as TS2010 performance requirements are based on hot-mix production, ensuring suitable construction performance within Scotland’s cold and wet climate. While WMA provides energy and emissions benefits, HMA provides long-term durability, extending the design life of the carriageway and reducing the frequency of future resurfacing interventions. Refer to the Climate impacts and mitigation section for further details.

Other materials required will include road marking materials, road studs, vehicle fuel and oil.

Materials will be obtained from recycled, secondary, or re-used origin as far as practicable within the design specifications to reduce natural resource depletion and associated emissions. For example, the binder and base courses used for resurfacing will contain a percentage of recycled material.

Wastes

Wastes are anticipated to be carriageway planings which will primarily be recycled at a licenced facility, thereby reducing the amount sent to landfill and promoting circular economy practices.

Coring investigations have not identified the presence of coal tar within treatment depths within the scheme extents.

A Site Waste Management Plan (SWMP) will be prepared prior to the works which will detail how resource use and waste arising from the works will be managed throughout the scheme. This is required due to the scheme exceeding £350,000 in value and will help control and reduce the amount of waste produced, resulting in less landfilled waste. 

Noise and vibration

The scheme is located in a semi-rural area, where baseline noise levels are primarily influenced by traffic on the A9, with secondary sources from rail, agricultural and residential activity. For AADF details, please refer to the Air Quality section above.

Modelled day-evening-night (Lden) noise levels along the scheme range between >75 to 80dB, and night noise levels (Lnight) for the period 23:00-07:00 range from >65B to 75dB. At the closest receptor, located 80m north (grid reference NN 77442 02277) baseline noise levels are recorded between >55B to 60dB (Scotland’s Noise Map). There are approximately 100 noise-sensitive receptors (NSRs) located within 300m, including residential and agricultural properties.

The works are not located within a Candidate Noise Management Area (CNMA) as defined by the Transportation Noise Action Plan 2024-2028 (TNAP).

Population and human health

There are approximately 100 residential and agricultural properties located within 300m. The closest property is a residential and agricultural holding, Auchinlay Holdings, located 80m north (grid reference NN 77442 02277). 

No educational, religious or medical community facilities are located within 300m. Laighhills Public Park, a recreational area is located approximately 225m south.

The works will be fully contained within the carriageway boundary, requiring no land take from residential, agricultural, business, or community land. A single agricultural access point is located within the scheme extents, at grid reference NN 78078 02396.

The following road infrastructure is located within the scheme extents:

  • A layby is located at grid reference NN 78077 02399.
  • A crossover is located at grid reference NN 77376 02161.
  • An underpass (A9 70 Auchinlay Road) is located at grid reference NN 77520 02207.

There are no Core Paths within or visible from the scheme extents, and no provision for walkers, cyclists, or horse-riders (WCH) along the scheme extents.

No bus stops are located along the scheme extents, and the extents are not lit.

Road drainage and the water environment

Surface water

Allan Water (Greenloaning to Dunblane) (ID: 6833), a classified surface watercourse designated under the Water Framework Directive (WFD) is located approximately 40m south of the scheme extents at its closest point. It exhibits a ‘Good’ overall status under SEPA’s 2024 water classification data. This river is located within the Allan Water catchment of the Scotland river basin district. This is an inland surface water, not influenced by normal tidal action at this location (SEPA Water Classification Hub).

A small culvert crosses the scheme (grid reference NN 78143 02445) which carries field drainage beneath the A9 carriageway before out falling into the Allan Water.

The Scheme is not located within a surface water Drinking Water Protected Area (DWPA).

Road drainage is in the form of filter drains and ditches, with additional top entry gullies are present throughout the layby.

Groundwater

The scheme lies within the Dunblane groundwater body (ID: 150628) which was classified as having a ‘Poor’ overall condition under the WFD in 2024 (SEPA Water Classification Hub).

The scheme is not located within a Scottish Government Nitrate Vulnerable Zone (NVZ). The scheme is located within a groundwater DWPA.

The scheme is located within a moderately productive aquifer, yielding moderate amounts of groundwater locally (GeoIndex - British Geological Survey).

Flood risk

The last approximately 200m of the scheme extents is identified at ‘Medium’ (0.5%) chance of surface water and small watercourse flooding annually. Medium likelihood infers that there is a 1 in 200 chance of a flood event occurring in any given year. (SEPA Flood Map).

The scheme is located within the Dunblane 2028-2034 potentially vulnerable area (PVA), where the highest flood risk is likely to occur in the future (Potentially Vulnerable Areas (PVAs) 2028-2034).

Climate

Carbon Goals 

The Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009, as amended by the Scottish Carbon Budgets Amendment Regulations 2025 sets out the statutory framework for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Scotland. The prior annual and interim targets have been replaced by five-year carbon budgets, which sets limits on the amount of GHGs that can be emitted in Scotland.

The proposed carbon budgets are aligned with advice from the UK Climate Change Committee (CCC) and calculated in accordance with the 2009 Act. The 2025 Regulations define the baseline years for emissions reductions as 1990 for greenhouse gases including carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, and 1995 for others such as hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, and sulphur hexafluoride (as set out in Section 11 of the Act). The budgets are as follows:

  • 2026 - 2030: Average emissions to be 57% lower than baseline.
  • 2031 - 2035: Average emissions to be 69% lower than baseline.
  • 2036 - 2040: Average emissions to be 80% lower than baseline.
  • 2041 - 2045: Average emissions to be 94% lower than baseline.

These budgets are legally binding and will be supported by a new Climate Change Plan, which will outline the specific policies and actions required to meet the targets.

Transport Scotland remains committed to reducing carbon across Scotland’s transport network, this commitment is being enacted through the Mission Zero for Transport. Transport is the largest contributor to harmful climate emissions in Scotland, and Transport Scotland are committed to reducing their emissions by 75% by 2030 and to a legally binding target of net-zero by 2045. 

Amey’s Company Wide Carbon Goal is to achieve Scope 1 and 2 net-zero carbon emissions, with a minimum of 80% absolute reduction on our emissions by 2035. Amey is aiming to be fully net-zero, including Scope 3 emissions, by 2040. 

Amey are working towards a contractual commitment to have carbon neutral depots on the North East Network Management Contract (NE NMC) network by 2028. Amey have set carbon goals for the NE NMC contract as a whole to be net-zero carbon by 2032.