Description of local environment

Air quality

The scheme is located within the rural setting of Perth and Kinross with the surrounding landscape consisting mainly of areas of agricultural and small areas of woodland at both scheme extents.

There are five residential properties within 200m of the works with the closest property Windyedge Cottages located approx. 25m northwest of the works.

Baseline air quality is likely influenced primarily by traffic along the A9 road network, with agricultural activities contributing as a secondary source. The Average Annual Daily Flow (AADF) in 2024 for the A9 carriageway located just outside the scheme extents (site no. 80347), accounted for 27,755 vehicles, with 3,127 of these being Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGV).

The Perth and Kinross Council has designated two Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs), one in Perth (2.5km northeast) and one in Crieff (17km west), which both lie outside the project boundaries. There are no real-time air quality monitoring stations within 200m of the scheme extents.

The Scottish Pollutant Release Inventory (SPRI) has not identified any polluting facilities within 1km of the scheme extents.

Cultural heritage

A desktop Study using Scotland’s Environment mapping resource and Pastmap has identified two designated culturally significant assets within 300m which are:

  • Battle of Dupplin Moor (Ref-BTL8) a battlefield, located within the southern end of the scheme.
  • Battle of Tippermuir (Ref- BTL39) a battlefield, located approx. 20m north of the works.

It has also identified the following non-designated culturally significant assets within 100m:

  • Crossgates Quarry (Ref- MPK7513/ 88842) Historic Environment Record (HER)/National Record of the Historic Environment (NRHE), located approx. 100m south of the works.
  • Crossgates Milestone (Ref- MPK19503/ 354746) HER/ NRHE, located between the northbound and southbound carriageways at NGR- NO 05122 21174.
  • Windyedge Cottages (Ref- MPK6388/ 88409) HER/ NHRS, located approx. 25m northwest of the works.

Landscape and visual effects

The area surrounding the A9 carriageway within the scheme extents consists of sporadic residential properties, small areas of dense vegetation in the form of mature trees and scrub and large areas of farmland. The mature trees and scrub provide a slight amount of screening from the A9 carriageway and the residential properties.  Perth and Kinross Council Core Path has not identified any core paths within 500m of the works or further with view of the works.

Scotland’s Environment Mapping Resource has identified the Dupplin Castle Garden and Designated Landscape located approx. 35m south of the works.

Scotland’s Landscape Character Type Map lists the landscape character type present within the scheme extents to be ‘Lowland Hills – Tayside’ and can be categorised as the following:

  • Low rounded ridges and hills separating lowland straths and adjoining the nearby uplands.
  • Composed of soft, red sandstones.
  • Transitional character with medium-scale pastures on lower slopes, giving way to rough grazing and even, open moorland higher up.
  • Extensive woodland, including conifer forests on less fertile soils.
  • Evidence of historic settlement and land use, with prehistoric standing stones, cairns, stone and hut circles, Roman forts roads and signal stations, and fortified houses and castles marking gateway points to the Highlands.
  • Modern settlement limited to scattered farmsteads and hamlets, with some main roads and pylons.

Scotland’s Historic Land-Use Map lists the land surrounding the scheme extents as rectilinear farms and fields.

There are no Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs) located within 500m of the works.

Biodiversity

The A9 carriageway verge within the scheme extents contains sporadic areas of dense, mature woodland and vegetation separating the carriageway from residential properties and agricultural land. Scotland’s Ancient Woodland Inventory has identified three areas of ancient woodland within 500m of the work, which are:

  • Highdrum Wood (ID: 18026) which is an area of Long-Established (of plantation origin) ancient woodland located on both sides of the carriageway at the southern scheme extent.
  • Aberdalgie (ID: 18414) which is an area of Long-Established (of plantation origin) ancient woodland located approx. 130m south of the works.
  • West Lamberkine Wood (ID: 185240) which is an area of Long-Established (of plantation origin) located approx. 30m north of the works at the northern scheme extent.

NatureScot’s Sitelink has identified the South Tayside Goose Roosts Special Protection Area (SPA) and Ramsar located approx. 1km southwest of the works. A Habitats Regulations Appraisal (HRA) has been undertaken for this site.

The NBN Atlas resource has not identified the presence of any Invasive Non-Native Species (INNS) or Transport Scotland Target Species within 500m of the scheme extents. The Amey Environment NE INNS Map resource has not recorded the presence of any INNS within 500m also but has however identified the following Transport Scotland Target Species within the verges of the A9 carriageway within the scheme extents:

  • Rosebay Willowherb (Chamerion angustifolium); and
  • Common Ragwort (Jacobaea vulgaris).

A competent senior ecologist has reviewed the scheme and the surrounding habitat using desktop resources, and a site visit was subsequently scoped out. This was concluded due to the transient nature of the works and their confinement within the carriageway boundary.

Geology and soils

The scheme is not located within 200m of any Geological Conservation Review sites (GCRS), or Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) designated for their geological significance (NatureScot’s Sitelink).

The National Soil Map of Scotland lists the soil present within the scheme extents to be that of Brown soils. This resource states the surrounding land to be a ‘3.1’ with regard to the Land Classification for Agriculture- Land capable of producing consistently high yields of a narrow range of crops and/ or moderate yields of a wider range. Short grass leys are common.

Bedrock Geology:

  • Scone Sandstone Formation-Sandstone. These sedimentary rocks are fluvial in origin. They are detrital, ranging from coarse- to fine-grained and form beds and lenses of deposits reflecting the channels, floodplains and levees of a river or estuary (if in a coastal setting).

Superficial Deposits:

  • Till, Devensian-Diamicton. These sedimentary deposits are glacigenic in origin. They are detrital, created by the action of ice and meltwater, they can form a wide range of deposits and geomorphologies associated with glacial and inter-glacial periods during the Quaternary.

Material assets and waste

Materials

Materials required are detailed within Table 1 below.

Table 1: Key Material Required for Activities

Activity

Materials Required

Sources

Construction

· TS2010 surface course;

· AC20 bituminous binder;

· AC32 bituminous base;

· Road paint;

· Road studs;

· Vehicle fuel;

· Lubricant; and

· Oil.

· TS2010 Surface Course allows a wider array of aggregate sources to be considered when compared to typical Stone Mastic Asphalt (SMA). As a result, the use of TS2010 will reduce the usage of imported aggregates and increase the use of a wider range of sustainable aggregate sources.

· A proportion of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) is used in asphalt production. Typical RAP values for base and binder are 10% -15% with up to 10% in surface course.

Wastes

There is a possibility that coal tar may be found during investigation stages. Anticipated wastes from the proposed works are listed in Table 2 below.

Table 2: Key Waste Produced by Activities

Activity

Waste Produced

Disposal

Construction

· Asphalt planings;

· Road paint; and

· Road studs.

· All waste will be disposed of following regulations of the Environmental Authorisation (Scotland) Regulations 2018 (EASR).

· However, where planings meet SEPA’s criteria, they will be fully recycled. Planings containing coal tar will be treated as special waste.

The proposed scheme requires a Site Waste Management Plan (SWMP) as the total value is over £350,000. 

Noise and vibration

Baseline noise and vibration levels are likely to be influenced by vehicle traffic from the A9 carriageway and surrounding residential and agricultural activities. The AADF in 2024 for the A9 carriageway, within the scheme extents (estimated count point ID: 80347), accounted for 27,755 vehicles, with 3,127 of these being HGVs.

There are six residential properties within 300m of the works with the closest property Windyedge Cottages located approx. 25m northwest of the works.

There are no other Noise Sensitive Receptors (NSR) within 300m of the works.

Scotland’s Noise Map has indicated modelled night-time noise levels (Lnight) in the areas surrounding the carriageway to be around 60-65 dB within 70m.

The scheme is not located within a Candidate Noise Management Area (CNMA) as defined within the Transportation Noise Action Plan.

Population and human health

The A9 carriageway within this section lies just to the west of Perth, running adjacent to West Lamberkine Wood and forming part of the primary strategic trunk route linking central Scotland with the Highlands. This inland stretch of the A9 passes through a predominantly rural landscape and serves as a key north–south corridor connecting communities such as Auchterarder, Dunkeld and Pitlochry with major urban centres including Perth and Inverness. Perth itself sits at the southern end of this corridor and provides a wide range of services, employment opportunities and transport connections, while smaller settlements along the route rely on the A9 for access to regional facilities and wider national networks.

There are six residential properties within 300m of the works with the closest property Windyedge Cottages located approx. 25m northwest of the works.

There are no community facilities within 500m of the works.

There are no pedestrian footways within the scheme extents or further that will be impacted by the works.

The A9 carriageway within the scheme extents is not street-lit and contains one bus stop and one layby on the southbound side of the carriageway within the scheme extents. Access to some residential properties and farmland is located on the southbound side of the carriageway within the scheme extents.

There are no National Cycles Network Routes or  Core Paths within 500m of the scheme extents.

Road drainage and the water environment

SEPA’s Water Classification Hub has not identified any watercourses classified under the Water Framework Directive (WFD) within 500m of the works.

A small stream, Cotton Burn, is located approx. 180m north of the works.

SEPA’s Flood Map has identified a number of small areas at ‘High’ risk (10% chance each year) of surface water flooding throughout the scheme.

The A9 carriageway within the proposed scheme extents is located within the Strathmore and Fife (including Finavon) Scottish Government Nitrate Vulnerable Zone (NVZ). NVZs are areas designated as being at risk from agricultural nitrate pollution. Areas such as the Strathmore and Fife (including Finavon) NVZ either result or would likely result in a concentration equal or exceeding 50mg/l of nitrates in either surface or groundwater as a result of agriculture. The works are also located within the River Earn drinking water and ground water protection area.

Climate

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 GHGs 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.