Description of local enviroment

Air quality

Baseline air quality levels are likely to be influenced by vehicle traffic from the A96 carriageway and agricultural activities. The Annual Average Daily Flow (AADF) in 2023 for the A96 carriageway within the scheme extents (estimated count point: 80046), accounted for 10,541 vehicles, with 638 of these being Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs).

Four residential properties have been identified within 200m of the scheme extents with the closest property entitled ‘Craigmill’ located approx. 7m north of the A96 carriageway. No non-residential air quality sensitive receptors have been identified within 200m of the scheme extents.

Aberdeenshire Council has not declared any Air Quality Management Areas.

The Scottish Pollutant Release Inventory (SPRI) has identified the Carden Livestock Facility (located approximately 200m north) within 1km of the scheme. This facility is listed as being a polluting facility as a result of intensive livestock production.

Cultural heritage

The PastMap resource has been utilised to ascertain the designated and undesignated culturally significant assets within proximity to the scheme extents (see Tables 1 and 2 below). Designated assets within proximity have been determined using a buffer of 300m whilst undesignated assets within proximity have been determined using a buffer of 100m. Where a designation is duplicated, only the highest level of classification will be listed below.

Table 1: Designated cultural heritage assets within 300m.

Name and Designation

Reference Number

Description

Distance from Scheme

Lodge, Logie House

333829

Category C Listed Building

7m north

Table 2: Non-designated cultural heritage assets within 100m.

Name and Designation

Reference Number

Description

Distance from Scheme

Bridge of Carden

184325

Canmore

80m north

Hill of Knockollochie

183192

Canmore

40m south

Landscape and visual effects

Six residential properties have been identified within 300m of the scheme extents. The closest property is located approx. 7m north (at the roadside) entitled ‘Craigmill’. Due to the surrounding landscape consisting of low-lying agricultural land (low-sided valleys), multiple properties in the surrounding areas are anticipated to have sight of the A96 carriageway within the scheme extents. No non-residential visual receptors have been identified.

No landscape designations such as Garden Designed Landscapes (GDLs) or National Scenic Areas (NSAs) have been identified within 1km of the scheme extents (PastMap).

Scotland’s Landscape Character Type Map lists the landscape character type present within the scheme extents to be ‘Wooded Estates - Aberdeenshire’. Scotland’s Historic Land-Use Map lists the land surrounding the scheme extents as a mixture of rectilinear farms and fields and rough grazing.

No Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs) have been identified adjacent within 300m of the scheme extents.

Biodiversity

The A96 carriageway within the scheme extents contains areas of low-lying vegetation, trees and scrub separating the carriageway from arable and pastoral farmland.

No designated European sites have been identified within 2km of the scheme extents (NatureScot’s Sitelink). No indirect linkages to designated European sites (such as hydrological or ecological links) have been identified between the area of works and any sites. No nationally designated sites (such as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) or local/national nature reserves) have been identified within 200m of the scheme extents.

The NBN Atlas resource has identified the presence of INNS including Giant hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum) and Rhododendron (Rhododendron ponticum) within 500m of the scheme extents. This resource has identified the presence of Transport Scotland Target Species including the following within 500m of the scheme extents:

  • Rosebay willowherb (Chamaenerion angustifolium);
  • Broad-leaved dock (Rumex obtusifolius);
  • Creeping thistle (Cirsium arvense); and,
  • Spear thistle (Cirsium vulgare).

The Amey Environment NE NMC INNS Map resource has not recorded the presence of any INNS or Transport Scotland Target Species within 500m of the scheme 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 mineral gleys. This resource also classifies the land as ‘3.1’ with regard to the Land Classification for Agriculture.

Bedrock Geology:

  • Insch Pluton, Middle Zone - Norite and gabbronorite. Igneous bedrock formed between 485.4 and 443.8 million years ago during the Ordovician period.

Superficial Deposits:

  • Banchory Till Formation - Diamicton. Sedimentary superficial deposit formed between 116 and 11.8 thousand years ago during the Quaternary period.

As a result of the works taking place strictly within made ground within the A96 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 resurface the worn carriageway and reinstate road markings and studs. Materials used will consist of:

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

Wastes are anticipated to be planings from the carriageway surface course, with no coal tar recorded from coring logs within scheme extents. The Contractor is responsible for the disposal of road planings, and this will be registered in accordance with a Paragraph 13(a) waste exemption issued by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), as described in Schedule 3 of the Waste Management Licensing Regulations 2011.

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

Noise and vibration

Baseline noise levels are likely to be influenced by vehicle traffic from the A96 carriageway and residential/industrial activities. The AADF in 2023 for the A96 carriageway within the scheme extents (estimated count point: 80046), accounted for 10,541 vehicles, with 638 of these being HGVs.

Six residential properties have been identified within 300m of the scheme extents. The closest property is located approx. 7m north (at the roadside) entitled ‘Craigmill’. 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) within 50m of the carriageway to be between 55 and 75dB, with lower night-time noise levels (Lnight) of between 50 and 65dB within this parameter.

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

Population and human health

The A96 carriageway within the scheme extents is located within rural Aberdeenshire. This carriageway acts as a link between the city of Aberdeen and smaller settlements including Inverurie, Huntly and Kintore. Whilst these towns and villages play host to medical facilities and public amenities, the city of Aberdeen contains a greater complexity of facilities in greater abundance.

Six residential properties have been identified within 300m of the scheme extents. The closest property is located approx. 7m north (at the roadside) entitled ‘Craigmill’. Non-residential properties within 300m include agricultural premises/businesses and related holdings.

The A96 carriageway within the scheme extents is not street-lit and contains no pedestrian footways. Multiple private property and field access points are present within the scheme extents, as are roads connecting the A96 carriageway to Chapel of Gairoch, the B9002 carriageway and Whiteford. Laybys are present both eastbound and westbound within the scheme boundary . Access to the westbound layby (at the scheme start point) is slightly outwith the scheme extents whilst the eastbound layby is located entirely within the scheme extents.

No Aberdeenshire Council Core Paths or National Cycle Network (NCN) routes are present within 300m of the scheme extents.

Road drainage and the water environment

SEPA’s Water Classification Hub has identified the identified the Gadie Burn (site ID: 23290) flowing approx. 20m north of the A96 carriageway within the scheme extents (at its closest point). This watercourse flows into the River Urie (site ID: 23288) of which is located approx. 80m north of the scheme’s end point. These watercourses are classified as being in ‘Good’ condition under the Water Framework Directive (WFD). Various field drains have also been identified flowing adjacent to the scheme extents including an unnamed watercourse flowing beneath the scheme extents and into the Gadie Burn.

SEPA’s Water Classification Hub identified the groundwater conditions within the scheme extents (entitled Inverurie, site ID: 150685) as being in ‘Good’ condition.

SEPA’s Flood Map has indicated that the entirety of the verge of the A96 carriageway within the scheme’s western extent is at a ‘Medium’ to ‘High’ (approx. 0.5% to 10% each year) risk of surface water flooding with small areas of the pavement included within this. The Gadie Burn and its banks (including the scheme’s western extent) is at a ‘High’ (approx. 10% each year) risk of river water flooding.

The A96 carriageway within the scheme’s eastern extent is drained via top-entry gullies. No obvious drainage assets are present at the central and western extents.

The A96 carriageway within the scheme extents is contained within the Scottish Government’s Moray, Aberdeenshire, Banff and Buchan Nitrate Vulnerable Zone (NVZ) as defined by the Scottish Government. NVZs are areas designated as being at risk from agricultural nitrate pollution. Areas such as the Moray, Aberdeenshire, Banff and Buchan 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 sets out the target and vision set by the Scottish Government for tackling and responding to climate change. The Act includes a target of reducing CO2 emissions by 80% before 2050 (from the baseline year 1990). 

The Scottish Government has since published its indicative Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to set out how it will instead reach net-zero by 2045, working to reduce emissions of all major greenhouse gases (GHGs) by at least 75% by 2030. By 2040, the Scottish Government is committed to reduce 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, this commitment is being enacted through the Mission Zero for Transport. Transport is the largest contributor to harmful climate emissions in Scotland. In response to the climate emergency, TS 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 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. 

Policies and Plans

This Record of Determination (RoD) has been undertaken in accordance with Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2017 (RSA EIA Regulations) along with Transport Scotland’s Environmental Impact Assessment Guidance (Guidance – Environmental Impact Assessments for road projects (transport.gov.scot)). Relevant guidance, policies and plans accompanied with the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB)) LA 101 and LA 104 were used to form this assessment.