Description of local environment

Air quality

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

No Air Quality Monitoring Stations (AQMS) are located within 10km of the proposed works (Air quality in Scotland).

One Scottish Pollutant Release Inventory (SPRI) site (which record air pollutant releases), is located within 10km of the scheme (Scotland’s Environment). It lies 5.9km southeast of the proposed works and is classified as ‘chemical industry’.

Baseline air quality is likely influenced by traffic along the trunk road and day-to-day agricultural activities.

The A835, within the scheme extents is a single carriageway with the national speed limit applying. The Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) flow was recorded as 10,629 motor vehicles in 2023, of which 3% was heavy goods vehicles (ID: 80336) (Road Traffic Statistics).

Cultural heritage

No Listed buildings, Scheduled Monuments, Garden & Designed Landscapes, Conservation Areas, Battlefields or World Heritage sites were identified within 300m of the scheme (PastMap).

There are various Canmore and Historic Environment Records (HERs) within 300m of the scheme extent, the closest of which is the ‘Prehistoric Settlement and Field System - Mullans Wood, Tore HER’ which lies within the footprint of the works.

Construction of the A835 carriageway is likely to have removed any archaeological remains that may have been present within the carriageway boundary. The potential for the presence of unknown archaeological remains in the study area has therefore been assessed to be low.

The works are confined to the trunk road boundary as such construction of the A835 is likely to have removed any archaeological remains that may have been present within the area and as such ‘cultural heritage’ is scoped out and is not discussed further within this RoD.

Landscape and visual effects

The scheme is not located within a National Park, a National Scenic Area, or any other area designated for its landscape character or quality (NatureScot).

The Landscape Character Type (LCT) within the study area is ‘Open Farmed Slopes’ (no. 346) and ‘Farmed and Forested Slopes - Ross & Cromarty’ (no. 345) (Scottish Landscape Character Types).

Land use (HLA) within 300m of the scheme extent is classified as:

  • Opencast site
  • Plantation
  • Planned smallholdings
  • Managed woodland
  • Smallholdings
  • Urban area
  • Rectilinear fields and farms
  • Motorway and major roads

The land surrounding the trunk road is classified as 3.1 - 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 and 4.2 – ‘Land capable of producing a narrow range of crops, primarily on grassland with short arable breaks of forage crops’ (Scotland’s soils).

The A835 carriageway is a prominent linear landscape feature. The road corridor, for example, has a distinct character shaped by fast-flowing traffic, road markings, safety barriers, signage, landscaping, lighting etc. The scale of the carriageway detracts from the quality and character of the wider landscape.

The works are confined to the trunk road boundary, the proposed works consist of like-for-like works and are of a short duration and transient nature. As such ‘landscape and visual effects’ is scoped out and is not discussed further within this RoD.

Biodiversity

Monadh Mor Special Area of Conservation (SAC) is located 260m northeast of the scheme extent.

There are no Local Nature Conservation Sites (LNCS) or Local Nature Reserves (LNRs) within 300m of, or which share connectivity with, the scheme extent (SiteLink).

Monadh Mor Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) overlaps with Monadh Mor SAC and lies 260m northeast of the scheme extent.

The NBN Atlas holds no records of invasive and injurious plant species (as listed in the Network Management Contract (NMC)) within 2km of the scheme.

A search of Transport Scotland’s Asset Management Performance System (AMPS) records common ragwort (Jacobaea vulgaris) and rosebay willowherb (Chamaenerion angustifolium), located within the scheme extent.

The Ancient Woodland Inventory Scotland records multiple areas of ancient woodland within 300m of the scheme extent. All areas are approximately 200m away from the proposed works and are classified as ‘ancient (of semi-natural origin)’. They are not covered by tree preservation orders (TPOs) by Highland Council.

Woodland, freshwater, and riparian habitat is present in the surrounding area.

Geology and soils

The A835 within the scheme is not located within a Geological Conservation Review Site (GCRS) or geological SSSI and there are no Local Geodiversity Sites (LGS) with connectivity to the scheme.

The British Geological Survey online mapping tool records the bedrock geology within the scheme extents as:

  • Raddery Sandstone Formation – Sandstone

The mapping tool records the following superficial deposits within the scheme extents:

  • Peat – Peat
  • Hommocky (Moundy) Glacial Deposits – Diamicton, Sand and gravel

Soils within the scheme extent are recorded as being ‘Class 0’ as displayed on Scotland’s Peat Map. Class 0 is considered to be mineral soil.

Works will be restricted to previously engineered ground within the A835 trunk road boundary. Therefore, this receptor has no constraints that are likely to be impacted by the proposed works and as such, ‘geology and soils’ is scoped out and is not discussed further within this RoD.

Material assets and waste

The proposed works are necessary to resurface sections of the A835 carriageway. Materials used will consist of:

  • Asphaltic material
  • Bituminous emulsion bond coat
  • Milled in road studs
  • Thermoplastic road marking paint

Wastes are anticipated to be removed planings from the surface course, which will be recovered for re-use in line with BEAR Scotland’s Procedure 126: The Production of Fully Recovered Asphalt Road Planings. The Contractor is responsible for the disposal of road planings and this has been registered in accordance with a Paragraph 13(a) waste exemption issued by SEPA, as described in Schedule 3 of the Waste Management Licensing Regulations 2011.

A Site Waste Management Plan (SWMP) is not required for the scheme. Coal tar has not been highlighted as being present within the scheme extent.

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) (TNAP).

LDEN or ‘day, evening, night average noise levels’ are modelled within the scheme extent. Noise levels are recorded as being between 71 and 77db on the road (ScotGov).

Baseline noise and vibration in the study area is mainly influenced by vehicles travelling along the A835 trunk road. Secondary sources are derived from day-to-day agricultural/forestry land management activities.

Population and human health

There are approximately 30 properties located within 300m of the scheme extent, with the closest lying adjacent to the A835 carriageway.

There are 11 access roads, and three layby bus stops located within the scheme extent, with three more access roads located within 300m of the scheme extent.

There is a paved pedestrian path located along the SB lane, which is classified as Route 1 of the National Cycle Network (NCN).

There is no street lighting or other non-motorised user (NMU) facilities within 300m of the proposed works.

There are no walking routes, as listed on WalkHighlands, within 300m of the scheme extent.

There is one core path (SE Map) located 220m south of the scheme extent.

The A835 Trunk Road, including the A893, connects Tore with Ullapool. It commences at (but excludes) the A9 Tore Roundabout leading generally north-westwards for a distance of 80 kilometres to (but excludes) its junction with the ferry terminal at Ullapool. The A835 is a single carriageway along its length.

Road drainage and the water environment

There are no waterbodies within 300m of the works that have been classified by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) in 2023 under the Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC (WFD) (SEPA).

There are multiple unclassified watercourses and waterbodies that are culverted below the A835 within the scheme extent.

A search of the SEPA Flood Map identifies that there is a high risk of surface water flooding in sections of the A835 within the scheme extents, with a 10% chance of flooding every year.

A search of the Scotland’s Environment (SE) online mapping tool determined that the trunk road, within the scheme extents, lies on the ‘Black Isle’ groundwater body, which has been classified as ‘Good’. The scheme falls into a Drinking Water Protected Area for groundwater.

Climate

The Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 sets out the target and vision set by the Scottish Government for tackling and responding to climate change (The Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009). The Act included a target of reducing CO2 emissions by 80% before 2050 (from the baseline year 1990). The Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) (Scotland) Act 2019 amended the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 to bring the target of reaching net-zero emissions in Scotland forward to 2045 (Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) (Scotland) Act 2019).

The Scottish Government has since published its indicative Nationally Determined Contribution (iNDC) to set out how it will reach net-zero emissions by 2045, working to reduce emissions of all major greenhouse gases by at least 75% by 2030 (Scotland's contribution to the Paris Agreement: indicative Nationally Determined Contribution - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)). By 2040, the Scottish Government is committed to reducing emissions by 90%, with the aim of reaching net-zero by 2045 at the latest.

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). 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 a legally binding target of net-zero by 2045.