Description of local environment

Air quality

No Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs) declared by Perth & Kinross Council are located within 10km of the scheme (Scottish Air Quality).

There are no sites registered on the Scottish Pollutant Release Inventory (SPRI) for air releases which are located within 10km of the scheme (Scotland’s Environment).

There are no Air Quality Monitoring Stations (AQMS) located within 10km of the scheme extent.

Baseline air quality is likely to be primarily influenced by traffic along the A9 carriageway, with secondary sources likely to arise from day-to-day nearby land management activities.

Cultural heritage

A search of the Historic Environment Scotland (HES) PastMap records identified the Category B Listed Building Dalnacardoch Lodge (Reference: LB6014), located approximately 40m south of the scheme.

Of lesser cultural heritage value, several Historic Environment Records (HERs) and National Records of Historic Environment (NRHEs) lie within 300m of the scheme extent, the closest of these lie adjacent to the A9 NB carriageway at the scheme extents and are listed below:

  • Dunkeld - Dalnacardoch - Ruthven - Aviemore - Inverness Military Road; Dalnacardoch HER
  • Classification: Military Road - Early Modern
  • Reference: MPK9303
  • A9 Dualling Programme: Pitlochry to Glengarry NRHE
  • Classification: No class (event) (period unassigned)
  • Reference: 369047
  • Edendon Bridge NRHE
  • Classification: Road Bridge (Period Unassigned)
  • Reference: 139730

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

Construction of the A9 is likely to have removed any archaeological remains that may have been present within the area. Due to the lack of cultural heritage assets within the scheme footprint, the proposed project does not carry the potential to cause direct or indirect impact to cultural or archaeological features. As such, impact has been assessed as being ‘no change’ and has been scoped out of requiring further assessment.

Landscape and visual effects

The scheme is located wholly within the Cairngorms National Park (NP) (Site Code: 8623), which has the following general special 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 any other sites designated for landscape character or quality, such as a National Scenic Area (Sitelink).

The Landscape Character Type (LCT) within the scheme extent is recorded as ‘Upland Glen – Cairngorms’ LCT 126, 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 Cairngorms National Park.
  • Size varies from large 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 scheme is located within the land use type (HLA Map): ‘Motorway and Major Roads’. Motorways, service stations and park-and-rides are included as HLA data as they cover considerable areas of land; only major junctions and dual carriageways are shown for other roads.

The A9 trunk road connects Perth with Thurso. It commences immediately north of Inveralmond Roundabout in Perth leading generally northwards for a distance of 357 kilometres to its junction with an unclassified road leading to Holborn Head lighthouse at Scrabster. The A9 is a mixture of single carriageway, ‘2+1’ carriageway and stretches of two-lane dual carriageway. The A9 is a dual carriageway at the scheme extent.

Biodiversity

No European sites (i.e. Special Protection Areas (SPAs), Special Areas of Conservation (SACs), or Ramsar sites) are located within 2km of, or hold ecological connectivity with, the scheme extents (Sitelink).

There are no Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs), Local Nature Conservation Sites (LNCS) or Local Nature Reserves (LNRs) designated for biodiversity features within 300m, or with connectivity to the scheme (Sitelink).

The National Biodiversity Network (NBN) Atlas holds several records of bird species within 2km of the scheme (the search criteria included only records during the past ten years, and which have open-use attributions (OGL-CC0-CC-BY)). Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended), all wild birds and their active nests are protected, with certain species receiving additional protection.

Under the same search criteria, the NBN Atlas holds no records of protected mammal species.

A search of the NBN Atlas did not identify any records of invasive or injurious plant species (as listed in the Network Management Contract (NMC)) under the same search criteria.

The Transport Scotland Asset Management Performance System (AMPS) holds records of the injurious weed, common ragwort (Jacobaea vulgaris), within the verges of the A9 at the scheme extents. 

There are no Tree Preservation Orders (TPO) within 300m of the scheme.

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

Surrounding habitat consists of primarily grassland and some woodland. The River Garry runs parallel to the A9 to the south and is located approximately 80m from the northbound carriageway at the nearest point.

An ecological constraints survey (ECS) was completed prior to another VRS scheme on the same section of the A9 located on the southbound (SB) dual carriageway. The survey was conducted on 02/09/2025 by the BEAR Scotland Environment Team.

Geology and soils

The scheme is located partially within the Glen Garry SSSI (NatureScot site code: 710). The SSSI is designated for its earth science interest, specifically Dalradian geology, compromising of bare outcrops of different bands of sedimentary rocks, mostly in the middle Highlands.

The west extent of the scheme lies within the A9 Road Cuttings and River Garry Gorge Geological Conservation Review Site (GCRS) (Site code: 9251) which is an area with an exceptional example of Dalradian polyphase folding on a large scale. The GCRS is partially underpinned by the Glen Garry SSSI.

Bedrock geology within the scheme extent is comprised of Gaick Psammite Formation-Psammite (British Geological Survey). Superficial deposits within the scheme extents are comprised of hummocky (Moundy) Glacial Deposits-Diamicton (sand and gravel) (British Geological Survey).

The component soils recorded by Scotland’s Environment within the scheme extents are peaty gleyed podzols.

The scheme is located within the following two carbon and peatland class zones (Scotland’s Environment):

  • Class 0: Peat is not typically found on such soils.
  • Class 4: Predominantly mineral soil with some peat soil

Material assets and waste

The proposed works are required to protect errant vehicles from entering the central reserve area and reaching roadside hazards of watercourses, slopes and rock outcrops. Materials will consist of:

  • Galvanised steel rails
  • Galvanised steel posts
  • P4 terminal
  • Three rail wood fence on wooden posts
  • 36m³ of concrete for barrier foundations

The 226m of open box beam safety barrier and posts will be 100% recycled and all excavated earth will be redistributed on site.

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

No site compound is required for these works. Storage of plant and material will be at BEAR Kingussie Depot and transported daily as required.

Noise and vibration

The works do not fall within a Candidate Noise Management Area (CNMA) as defined by the Transportation Noise Action Plan (Road Maps) (Transport Noise Action Plan (TNAP) 2024 to 2028).

Round 4 Noise Mapping shows the average day, evening and night-time noise levels (LDEN) at the scheme to be between 68 – 70dB (Scotland’s noise)

Due to the rural nature of the surrounding habitat, baseline noise levels are likely to be primarily influenced by traffic travelling along the A9 carriageway, with secondary sources likely to arise from day-to-day nearby land management activities.

Population and human health

There are approximately two residential homes within 300m of the scheme extent, the closest of which lies approximately 35m south of the scheme extent. In addition, three junctions lie within the scheme extent.

There is one National Cycle Network (NCN) Route, ‘National Route 7’, which runs parallel to the scheme approximately 10m south of the A9 NB carriageway at the nearest point.

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

There are no other non-motorised road user (NMU) provisions within the scheme.

The nearest, most up to date, traffic counter on the A9 (ID: 0000JTC00308) is located approximately 10km east of the scheme and estimated an Average Daily Traffic (ADT) count of 11,336 in 2025 with 24.1% of that being Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs).

Road drainage and the water environment

The scheme is located within the Rannoch groundwater body (ID: 150691), in the Scotland river basin district. It is 1273.4 square kilometres in area and it 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).

River Garry from Loch Garry to Garry Intake is a river (ID: 6912), in the River Tay catchment of the Scotland river basin district lies approximately 80m south of the scheme at the nearest point. The main stem is approximately 7.0 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. River Garry was given an overall status of ‘Poor ecological potential’ in 2023 by SEPA.

Edendon Water (ID: 6609), lies within the River Tay catchment of the Scotland river basin district. The main stem is approximately 17.5 kilometres in length and it is culverted beneath the scheme. It was given an overall status of ‘Moderate ecological potential’ in 2024 by SEPA.

There are numerous watercourses (unclassified by the SEPA) that run within 300m of scheme extents.

Numerous areas throughout the scheme extents have been noted to have high likelihood (10% chance each year) of river flooding and surface water and small watercourses flooding (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).