Description of local environment

Air quality

Baseline air quality levels are likely to be influenced by vehicle traffic from the A90 carriageway and surrounding agricultural activities. The Annual Average Daily Flow (AADF) in 2024 for the A90 carriageway, within the scheme extents (estimated count point ID: 80086), accounted for 40,677 vehicles, with 3,382 of these being Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs).

Eight residential properties have been identified within 200m of the scheme extents with the closest residential properties located 25m north on an unnamed road. No non-residential air quality sensitive receptors have been identified within 200m of the scheme.

The scheme is not within any Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs) declared by Perth and Kinross Council. No real-time air quality monitoring stations are present 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

With regard to designated culturally significant assets within 300m of the scheme extents, Scotland’s Environment mapping resource has identified Kinfauns Castle Garden and Designed Landscape ID: GDL00240 immediately adjacent to the carriageway.

Table 1 shows non-designated culturally significant assets identified within 200m of the proposed scheme extents.

Table 1: Non-Designated Cultural Heritage Assets within 200m

Name of designation

Reference Number

Description

Distance from Scheme

Kinfauns

 349380

 Canmore

 Within the scheme extents

Burnfoot

 356667

 Canmore

 Within the scheme extents

Kinfauns Castle

 127198

 Canmore

 Within the scheme extents

Kinfauns Command Line

 377570

 Canmore

 Within the scheme extents

Kinfauns Command Line Pill Box

 377640

 Canmore

 25m south

West Lodge

 127196

 Canmore

 20m south

Landscape and visual effects

The area surrounding the A90 carriageway within the scheme extents consists of agricultural areas with residential housing and fields. It is estimated that eight visual residential receptors are visible to/from the scheme extents. Core Path WCAR/56 traverses the carriageway within the scheme extents and will have a view of the works area.

No National Scenic Areas (NSAs) have been identified within 300m of the scheme extents (Scotland’s Environment Mapping Resource). Kinfauns Castle Garden and Designed Landscape ID: GDL00240 has been identified immediately adjacent to the carriageway.

Scotland’s Landscape Character Type Map lists the landscape character type present within the scheme extents to be ‘Firth Lowlands - ID: 385’. The landscape is a predominantly flat and fertile area, enclosed by the abrupt change of slope to the steep Sidlaws escarpment to the north and emphasising the overriding horizontal landscape character by the flat plain of the Firth of Tay to the south.

Scotland’s Historic Land-Use Map lists the land surrounding the scheme extents as Motorway and Major Roads as well as Rectilinear Fields and Farms and Managed Woodlands.

No trees under a Tree Preservation Order (TPO) have been identified within 300m of the scheme extents.

Biodiversity

The A90 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 a long-standing Ancient Woodland area (ID: 19,020) located directly adjacent to the carriageway.

The River Tay Special Area of Conservation (SAC) has been identified approximately 85m south of the scheme. Due to the potential for likely significant effects on the designated European site, a Habitats Regulations Appraisal (HRA) has been undertaken for the scheme. No other designated sites of ecological importance such as Ramsar sites or Special Protection Areas (SPAs) have been identified within 2km of the scheme extents (NatureScot’s Sitelink).

No nationally designated sites such as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) or Local Nature Reserves have been identified within 200m of the scheme extents.

The NBN Atlas resource has highlighted records of the following within 200m:

  • Himalayan balsam (Impatiens glandulifera),
  • Rosebay willowherb (Chamaenerion angustifolium),
  • Broad-leaved willowherb (Epilobium montanum), and;
  • Japanese knotweed (Reynoutria japonica)

The Amey Environment NE Invasive Non-Native Species (INNS) Map resource has recorded the presence giant hogweed and common ragwort within 500m of the scheme extents but not within the extents.

The scheme and the surrounding habitat have been reviewed by a senior ecologist utilising desktop resource, and, in turn, a site visit was scoped out. The transient nature of the works combined with the requirement of the works to be contained within the pavement boundary has allowed for this conclusion.

Geology and soils

The scheme is not located within 200m of any Geological Conservation Review sites (GCRs), or 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 Stirling Noncalcareous gleys ID: 488. This resource states the surrounding land to be a ‘3.1’ with regard to the Land Classification for Agriculture.

Bedrock Geology:

  • Ochil Volcanic Formation-Pyroxene andesite. These igneous rocks are volcanic (extrusive) in origin. Poor in silica, they form fluid flows of lava with feeder dykes and sills.

Superficial Deposits:

  • Glaciofluvial sheet deposits-Gravel, sand and silt. These sedimentary deposits are glaciofluvial in origin. They are detrital, generally coarse-grained, they form beds, channels, plains and fans associated with meltwater.
  • Raised Tidal Flat Deposits Of Holocene Age-Silt and clay. These sedimentary deposits are shallow-marine in origin. They are detrital, generally coarse-grained forming beaches and bars in a coastal setting.
  • Alluvial fan deposits-Gravel, sand, silt and clay. These sedimentary deposits 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).

As a result of the works taking place strictly on made ground within the A90 carriageway boundary, it has been determined that the project does not carry the potential to cause direct or indirect impact to geology or soils. As such, impact has been assessed as being ‘no change’ and has been scoped out of requiring further assessment.

Material assets and waste

The works are required to side out and resurface the worn carriageway and reinstate road markings and studs. Materials used will consist of:

  • Bituminous surfacing (TS2010, AC20 binder and AC32 base);
  • Vehicle fuel;
  • Road marking materials (thermoplastic road marking paint) and studs;
  • Oil; and

Wastes are anticipated to be asphalt planings from the carriageway surface course, coal tar has been recorded from coring logs within scheme extents however the works will not disturb this. Environmental Authorisations (Scotland) Regulations (EASR) classes waste asphalt (contaminated and uncontaminated) as a Low-Risk Waste Activity (LRWA) under ‘LRWA 3 - Treating asphalt road planings in a milling machine’. This means that uncontaminated road planings arising from the works do not require authorisation and can be fully recycled in accordance with SEPA’s ‘Activities exempt from waste management licensing – Paragraph 13(a)’. Contaminated road planings, such as Asphalt Waste Containing Coal Tar (AWCCT) will be recycled under SEPA’s Position Statement on Cold Recycling (Reference: WAS-PS-06). Environmental authorisation from SEPA is not required for the recycling of AWCCT if the conditions within the aforementioned document are adhered to. This includes, but is not limited to, ensuring that AWCCT is stored on an impermeable surface with a sealed drainage system, is not stored on site for more than 12 months, and treatment occurs at the place where the waste asphalt was produced.

This scheme value is in excess of £350k and therefore a Site Waste Management Plan (SWMP) is required to be produced.

Noise and vibration

Baseline noise and vibration levels are likely to be influenced by vehicle traffic from the A90 carriageway and surrounding residential and agricultural activities. The AADF in 2024 for the A90 carriageway, within the scheme extents (estimated count point ID: 80086), accounted for 40,677 vehicles, with 3,382 of these being HGVs.

There are 14 residential properties identified within 300m of the scheme extents with the closest located 25m north of the A90 carriageway. No non-residential noise sensitive receptors have been identified within 300m of the scheme extents.

Scotland’s Noise Map has indicated modelled day-evening-night noise levels (Lden) in the areas surrounding the carriageway to be around 79 dB – 69 dB within 70m. Night-time noise levels (Lnight) surrounding the carriageway show levels of 72 dB – 59 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 A90 carriageway within the scheme extents is located east of the village of West Kinfauns, Perth and Kinross. This section of the A90 carriageway links smaller towns such as St Madoes, Errol and Inchture to the city of Perth. Whilst these smaller towns play host to amenities and facilities such as educational facilities, medical facilities and care facilities, a greater abundance and complexity of these facilities can be found within Perth.

There are 14 residential properties within 300m of the scheme extents with the closest located 25m north of the A90 carriageway. Community facilities and assets of note within 300m of the scheme extents include local farm businesses.

The A90 carriageway within the scheme extents is not street-lit and contains bus stops, public laybys and pedestrian footways as well as on/off slips for accessing Kinfauns. Single access points to fields and private properties are present within the scheme extents.

Core Path WCAR/56 crosses the carriageway within the scheme extents. No National Cycle Network (NCN) routes have been identified within 300m of the scheme extents.

Road drainage and the water environment

SEPA’s Water Classification Hub has identified the River Tay (site ID: 6498), as approximately 85m south of the scheme extents. Multiple field and road drains are also present within 500m of the A90 carriageway within the area of works.

SEPA’s Water Classification Hub has identified the groundwater conditions within the scheme extents as The Carse Coastal Groundwater (ID: 150796) which has a ‘Poor’ overall ecological potential according to the Water Framework Directive (WFD) and also Perth Groundwater (ID: 150583) which has a ‘Good’ overall ecological potential according to the WFD. The scheme is within a drinking water protected area ID: 150796 and ID: 150583.

SEPA’s Flood Map has identified highlighted that there is a ‘Medium’ to ‘High’ likelihood of river, coastal and surface water flooding along the A90 suggesting that each year this area has a 0.5% - 10% chance of flooding each year.

The A90 carriageway within the scheme extents is drained via top-entry gullies.The A90 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.

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.