Baseline Summary

Overview

Schedule 3 of the Environmental Assessment (Scotland) Act 2005 requires that the following be identified when undertaking a SEA:

  • relevant aspects of the current state of the environment and its likely evolution without the implementation of the plan or programme
  • environmental characteristics of areas likely to be affected
  • relevant existing environmental problems
  • relevant environmental protection objectives at the international, European, or national level.

The full national-level environmental baseline, that describes these aspects, is provided as Appendix C (Environmental Baseline), which also contains discrete sections that summarise the likely evolution of the environmental baseline if one of the A96 Corridor Review Detailed Appraisal packages or Full Dualling were not implemented (that is the ‘do nothing’ or ‘without plan’ scenario).

The SEA study area considered is a 15km-wide corridor (7.5km either side of the existing A96). This corridor was used by the previous A96 Dualling SEA ( Halcrow (2014) A96 Dualling Programme – Strategic Environmental Assessment – Tier 1 Environmental Report ) , described in Section 1.3, and is illustrated in Appendix A (Environmental Figures) and has also been used for the STAG assessment for the environment criterion, as described in Section 2.4. The width and extent of the study area was considered appropriate for an initial high-level review of potential effects on each SEA topic. Four council areas were identified within the 15km-wide study area:

  • The Highland Council
  • Moray Council
  • Aberdeenshire Council
  • Aberdeen City Council

Online mapping and publicly available resources have been used to identify environmental constraints and inform the baseline of the study area. Sources used include:

Internationally and nationally designated sites and key environmental constraints identified from the baseline data collection are shown in Appendix A (Environmental Figures).

All of the SEA topics listed in the Environmental Assessment (Scotland) Act 2005 have been ‘scoped in’ to the A96 Corridor Review SEA, as described in Chapter 6. A summary of the key baseline findings for each SEA topic is provided in Section 4.2.

Baseline Summaries by SEA Topic

Overview

Environmental designations are located throughout the full extent of the A96 Corridor Review SEA study area. The number, frequency and density of environmental designations is notably higher at the western end, particularly between Inverness and Huntly where there are a number of designations covering a large area. The full extent of the Moray Firth coastline within the SEA study area has national environmental protection. The SEA study area crosses the River Spey at Fochabers; the river is designated as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC), Special Protection Area (SPA), Ramsar and Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) for much of its length.

There are no areas of national landscape protection, such as National Scenic Areas or National Parks, within the SEA study area although the northern boundary of the Cairngorms National Park is approximately 10km to the south.

A summary of the key baseline findings for each SEA topic is provided in the following sections.

Climatic Factors

GHG emissions lead to anthropogenic climate change and the transport sector is one of the contributory sources of these emissions. According to the Scottish Transport Statistics 2021, transport accounted for 29.2% of Scotland’s total GHG emissions in 2019. The largest source of transport GHG emi ssions is cars at 38%, followed by HGVs at 25%, and aviation at 16% ( Transport Scotland (2021) Scottish Transport Statistics 2021. ) . The proportion of single occupancy car trips also shows an underlying increasing trend, with 66% in 2018 compared with a figure of 65% in 2013 and 60% in 2008 ( Transport Scotland (2020) Transport and Travel in Scotland – All editions. ) .

Over the last few decades, Scotland has experienced a warming trend, shifting rainfall patterns, and rising sea levels ( Scotland’s Environment (2021) Changing climate. ) . The Met Office historic 10-year averages from the stations in Kinloss, Keith and Aberdeen Airport identify gradual warming and increased rainfall between 1961 and 2020 in the study area ( Met Office (2022) UK climate averages. ) .

Air Quality

A review of air quality monitoring data collected within the corridor between 2015 and 2019 for the council administrative areas of Moray (Moray Council (2020). 2020 Air Quality Annual Progress Report (APR) for Moray Council.) and Aberdeenshire (Aberdeenshire Council (2021), Aberdeenshire Council Air Quality Annual Progress Report (APR). ) show that annual mean concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) remained stable and well below the Air Quality Objective (AQO) or Limit Value across the years reviewed. Air quality within the Highland Council area (The Highland Council, The Highland Council Air Quality Annual Progress Report, 2021 Highways England, Transport Scotland, Welsh Government, Department for Infrastructure (2019). ) is also generally good, with the exception of the existing Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) declared for the potential exceedance of NO 2 within Inverness city centre, however this is beyond the corridor area.

There are no declared AQMAs within the A96 Corridor Review SEA study area, however there are three declared within Aberdeen City Council area, all to the east, and one, as previously discussed in the paragraph above, to the west within Inverness. Anderson Drive AQMA within Aberdeen City was declared for the potential exceedance of annual mean NO 2 and Particulate Matter (PM 10 ) AQOs (Aberdeenshire Council (2021), Aberdeenshire Council Air Quality Annual Progress Report (APR).). The AQMA encompasses Haudagain Roundabout and Auchmill Road on the northern fringes of Aberdeen ( Aberdeen City Council (2022) Air Quality Management. ) , includes the junction between the A96 and A92 and includes part of the A96. As noted above it is beyond the A96 Corridor Review SEA study area.

The highest NO 2 concentration relevant to public exposure in 2019 within the A96 Corridor Review SEA study area was 38µg/m , which does not exceed the NO 2 AQO or Limit Value. Whilst there is no PM 10 monitoring data within the A96 corridor area, PM 10 monitoring is undertaken within the wider Aberdeen City area. The highest PM 10 concentration in 2019 was 14.0µg/m , which is the highest within all the local authorities in the corridor and below the annual mean AQO of 18µg/m and Limit Value of 40µg/m . The highest PM 2.5 concentration in 2019 within all of the local authorities considered is below the annual mean AQO of 10µg/m .

Mapped background annual mean concentrations of oxides of nitrogen (NOx – a precursor for NO 2 ), NO 2 , PM 10 and PM 2.5 , based on a 2018 reference year ( Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (2022). 2020 NO2 and PM projections data (2018 reference year). ) , projected to 2023 show that background concentrations are below the relevant annual mean AQO or Limit Values, with the exception of the maximum NOx concentration, which is set for the protection of vegetation and ecosystems and is not currently assessed by Scottish local authorities ( Scottish Air Quality (2020) Air Quality Standards and Objectives. ) (United Kingdom (UK) Government (2010). 2010 No. 1001 Environmental Protection, The Air Quality Standards Regulations 2010.).

The Pollution Climate Mapping (PCM) model shows that roadside annual mean NO 2 concentrations are predicted to be compliant with Limit Values set by the European Air Quality Directive (EU Directive 2008/50/EC), which was transposed into UK law.

Noise

The Environmental Noise (Scotland) Regulations 2006 were introduced in Scotland to implement/transpose European Union, Assessment and Management of Noise Directive 2002/49/EC (known as the Environmental Noise Directive (END)). The aims of the END are to define a common approach in order to avoid, prevent or reduce the harmful effects of environmental noise. Under the Environmental Noise (Scotland) Regulations, three rounds of strategic noise mapping of major roads, railways, airports and agglomerations has been completed across Scotland.

Scotland’s noise map ( Scottish Government (2022) Scotland's Noise Map. ) illustrates noise exposure from rail, road, air traffic and industrial sources in accordance with the END. The main sources of noise within the SEA study area are sections of the A96 itself, A941 towards Rothes, A944 towards Kingsford, A940 towards Grantown-on-Spey and B9013 towards Burghead. There are large areas of noise sources within Aberdeen and Inverness, however this is beyond the extent of the study corridor. Sections of the Aberdeen – Inverness rail line are also a contributor of noise in the SEA study area. 55 dB Lden is the EU indicator threshold for noise exposure defined in the END 2002/49/EC. As expected, the greatest consolidated noise sources are at the eastern end of the A96 due to proximity to Aberdeen and its associated various industrial land uses and main transport routes entering and exiting the city. As noted, this is not within the SEA study area. Within the SEA study area itself, the main sources of noise are from the A96 and the railway line which both follow a similar east-west alignment. There are some peripheral roads which are also noise sources, however these are more scattered in the western extent or form direct connections with the A96. Noise emissions from airports and industry outside of Aberdeen have not been modelled as they do not meet the criteria set out in the END.

The regulations also require the production of Noise Action Plans (NAPs) to manage noise. These NAPs identify locations where people are most likely to be annoyed by noise (Candidate Noise Management Areas [CNMAs]) and areas to be preserved (Candidate Quiet Areas [CQAs]) from the strategic noise mapping. These areas then go through a filtering process to determine which will progress to actual Noise Management Area (NMA) and Quiet Area (QA) status. Responsibility for assessing the potential for implementing cost-effective noise mitigation measures within NMAs rests with either Transport Scotland, Network Rail, or the local roads authority, depending on who is responsible for the road/rail. There is one Round 3 CQA which falls within the SEA study area, which is ‘West Woods’ located south of the A96 and west of the A90. There are 12 road CMNAs and two rail CMNAs proposed within Aberdeen and five road CMNAs in Inverness, however these are outside the SEA study area.

Population and Human Health

Aberdeen is Scotland’s third largest city by population and its fourth most densely populated area ( National Records of Scotland (2021) Mid-2020 Population Estimates Scotland. ) . The largest settlement in Aberdeenshire is Peterhead, which has a population of 19,060 ( Aberdeenshire Council (2020) Population. ) . Approximately 48.4%, 47.4% and 41.6% of the populations of Aberdeenshire, Moray and Highland council areas respectively live in areas classified by the Scottish Government as ‘rural’.

The largest settlement in The Highland Council area is Inverness, which has a population of 82,383 and is the fifth largest of Scotland’s eight cities by population ( National Records of Scotland (2016) Mid-2016 Population Estimates for Settlements and Localities in Scotland. ) . The Highland Council is also Scotland’s largest local authority by area, with a total land area (including all islands at low water) of 26,484km ( Inverness Partnership Profile Demography and Deprivation (2022). ) .

The largest settlement in Moray is Elgin, with a population of 24,760 ( National Records of Scotland (2016) Mid-2016 Population Estimates for Settlements and Localities in Scotland. ) .

There are a number of areas of high deprivation within Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, Moray and Highland Councils’ administrative areas. These areas would be more vulnerable to changes in the environment as the communities living within deprived areas are more likely to have social and environmental characteristics that present risks to health for example, poor housing, lack of green spaces, and poorer air quality. However, the proportion of data zones within the study area that rank within the 20% most deprived in Scotland is relatively small at 6.9%. Alongside this, 27.2% of data zones are ranked within the 20% least deprived zones across Scotland, suggesting an overall trend of lower deprivation across the study area.

Access to services is an important consideration for rural communities and improved connectivity can reduce health inequalities. There are multiple core paths concentrated in and around the towns of Inverness, Nairn, Forres, Elgin, Keith, Huntly and Inverurie, and along the coast from Findhorn to Portgordon, as well as core paths in forests (Culbin Forest, Bennachie Forest) and along lochs (Loch of Blairs, Millbuies Loch, Loch na Bo, Loch Oire) within the study area. Additionally, there are Rights of Way (ROWs) around the towns of Forres and Elgin, north-west from Keith and ROWs along the coast from Burghead to Lossiemouth.

Air quality and noise from transport could result in significant impacts on human health on the population, particularly the more urban areas within the study area. Air quality and noise is discussed above.

Material Assets

The main transport infrastructure within the study area includes:

  • the A96 Trunk Road (between Inverness and Aberdeen)
  • other A-class roads
  • the rail network between Aberdeen and Inverness, which includes 12 rail stations
  • airports and associated infrastructure, including Inverness and Aberdeen international airports

Natural assets within the study area include:

  • 294 surface waterbodies within the study area, including the River Ness, River Nairn, River Findhorn, River Lossie, River Spey, River Don and River Dee
  • Scottish Ancient Woodland Inventory and Native Woodland Survey of Scotland sites
  • various soil types, including some nationally important carbon-rich soils, deep peat and priority peatland
  • land of varying degrees of agricultural value, including approximately 53.7km and 174.6km of Class 2 and Class 3.1 prime agricultural land respectively ( Scotland’s Soils, Peatland Restoration (2019). ) .

Water Environment

There is a total of approximately 294 surface water features within the A96 Study Corridor, which includes rivers, lochs, water bodies and coastal waters. There are 11 surface water catchments within the corridor which are traversed by the A96. These include the:

  • Beauly/Inverness Firth
  • Inverness Coastal
  • River Nairn
  • Moray Coastal
  • Muckle Burn
  • River Findhorn
  • River Lossie
  • Spey Bay Coastal
  • River Spey
  • River Deveron
  • River Don.

A significant number of watercourses flow through the corridor and are bridged/crossed by the A96 itself. The largest watercourses in the corridor are the River Spey, to the immediate west of Fochabers, and the Riven Don (and its tributary, the River Urie) at Inverurie. Under the Water Framework Directive (WFD) classifications, these designated river catchments range from having ’Bad’ to ‘Good’ Ecological Status, with the main reasons for not achieving ‘Good’ status being physical modification and chemical failings ( SEPA (2020) Water Classification Hub. ) . These are large watercourses which range from having sections that are more laterally dynamic to sections that have been heavily modified, as illustrated by the existing A96 crossing of the River Urie. Most river crossings are at points where the rivers are fresh water, with the exception of the River Nairn which is tidal where it is crossed by the A96.

Within the corridor, there are 14 WFD Designated Ground Water Bodies and 34 WFD Surface Watercourses (based on crossing locations). There are also eight Drinking Water Safeguard Zones and three Bathing Water Areas (where there may be interactions with the corridor).

The bedrock [solid] geology of the A96 corridor varies from east to west, consisting of sands, gravels, silts and clays. To the west of the study area, the bedrock geology comprises sandstones and conglomerate, while the east bedrock includes psammite and semi-pelite formations. The central part of the study area has a similar composition to the eastern part, consisting of psammite and semi-pelite formations with minor quartzites, limestones and igneous intrusions. Borehole data has shown that there are high groundwater levels at its eastern end. Further west, the water table is only high during winter months. The corridor lies across several WFD designated groundwater bodies which range from ‘Good’ to ‘Poor’ condition ( SEPA (2020) Water Classification Hub. ) . Those waterbodies not achieving ‘Good’ status are generally because of chemical failings. Licenced water abstractions and private water supplies may also be important receptors within the corridor, though are yet to be fully identified.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) flood mapping identifies flood risk from river, coastal and surface water flooding at low (1-in-1000 year), medium (1-in-200 year) (Figure A-5) and high (1-in-10 year) likelihood of flooding. Separate mapping identifies flood risk from rivers and coastal for the medium (1-in-200 year) scenario in 2080 (Figure A-6). The two figures that show these medium likelihood flood risk scenarios are provided in Appendix A (Environmental Figures).

Given the significant number of watercourses, the main risk of flooding within the A96 corridor is from river flooding. This includes the current route of the A96 itself. The flood mapping illustrates that the River Don poses significant flood risk to roads and settlements between Old Rayne and Dyce, with Kintore and Inverurie at significant risk. The other main settlements within the corridor of Nairn, Forres, Elgin, Fochabers, Huntly and Blackburn show significant areas of flood risk from various watercourses, including the River Spey and River Deveron. Keith, however, is deemed to be at low risk. Flood protection schemes have been implemented within the corridor, including at Forres, Elgin and Huntly. Coastal flood risk is confined to the coastal settlements within the wider study area of Findhorn, Burghead and Lossiemouth, although the estuary at Findhorn does allow for a greater extent of coastal flood risk inland. There is also some potential coastal flood risk for Nairn.

Biodiversity

International designations in the study area include four Ramsar wetland sites, eight SPAs and seven SACs, as follows:

  • Darnaway and Lethen Forest SPA
  • Inner Moray Firth SPA/Ramsar
  • Loch Flemington SPA
  • Loch of Skene SPA/Ramsar
  • Loch Spynie SPA/Ramsar
  • Moray and Nairn Coast SPA/Ramsar
  • Moray Firth SPA/SAC
  • Tips of Corsemaul and Tom Mor SPA
  • Cawdor Wood SAC
  • Culbin Bar SAC
  • Lower Findhorn Woods SAC
  • Lower River Spey – Spey Bay SAC
  • Mortlach Moss SAC
  • River Spey SAC.

Potential likely significant effects on these internationally designated sites are being considered in the HRA, as described in Section 1.5.

National designations include 43 biological SSSIs.

Thirty one Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire Local Nature Conservation Sites (LNCSs), four Moray Wildlife Sites and one Scottish Wildlife Trust Reserve have been identified in the study area.

One Local Nature Reserve (LNR), Findhorn Bay, and two Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) Reserves are also located within the study area.

Scottish Ancient Woodland Inventory and Native Woodland Survey of Scotland sites are found throughout the study area, with significant concentrations (primarily of plantation woodland) around Forres and the River Spey. In the southern part of the study area near Inverurie, there is less forestation than in the north. Approximately 26% of the study area is covered by woodland recorded on the National Forest Inventory. According to the Ancient Woodland Inventory, 14% of the study area comprises ancient woodland cover.

Geology and Soils

There are 17 geological and five mixed (biological and geological) SSSIs scattered throughout the area.

Scotland’s Soils ( Scotland’s Soils, Peatland Restoration (2019). ) (2019) mapping (Carbon and Peatland Map) is divided into five classes of carbon and peatland, and also illustrates areas of non-soil, unknown soil, and mineral soil. The classes are listed in Appendix C (Environmental Baseline). There are many soil types in the study area, ranging from Class 2 and 3 lands capable of producing a wide or moderate range of crops, to poorer quality Class 6 and 7 land of little use for cultivation.

Some peat deposits are found within the study area, with higher concentrations south-east of the River Spey, from Moray Council area to Aberdeen City. Peat is an important carbon sink. More than 20% of Scotland is covered by peat soil, with peatlands holding over half of Scotland’s terrestrial store of carbon ( NatureScot (2020) Managing Nature for Carbon Capture. ) . However, within the SEA study area, there are no significant areas of buried peat (including carbon-rich soil, deep peat and priority peatland habitat).

Cultural Heritage

The corridor contains four historic battlefield sites; including Culloden to the east of Inverness, the Battle of Auldearn to the east of Nairn, and the Battle of Barra and the Battle of Harlaw close to Oldmeldrum and Inverurie respectively. The Battle of Harlaw site near Inverurie borders the A96 itself. There are a large number of heritage designations throughout the A96 Study Corridor with the A96 itself passing close to a number of Scheduled Monuments, Gardens and Designed Landscapes and passing through Conservation Areas in Elgin, Fochabers and Keith.

Non-designated sites also provide crucial contextual information to help better understand the history and development of the landscape within the study area, as well as the archaeological potential of the area. Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, Highland and Moray Council areas have approximately 412; 3,092; 2,212 and 5,479 non-designated cultural heritage assets respectively.

There is also potential for previously unrecorded cultural heritage assets to be located within the study area, given the area contains known heritage sites and artefacts. Information gathered on both designated and non-designated assets is important for assessing the archaeological potential of the study area.

The designated and non-designated historic landscape and seascape in the study area is also important. The historic landscape has developed as a result of land management, agriculture and settlement patterns.

Landscape and Visual Amenity

There are no areas of national landscape protection, such as National Scenic Areas or National Parks, within the A96 Study Corridor although the northern boundary of the Cairngorms National Park is approximately 10km to the south. Within the study area, there are 13 Local Landscape Areas (LLAs) which are regionally valuable landscapes intended to protect and enhance unique and important landscape qualities and encourage the enjoyment of these areas. In Aberdeenshire, important landscapes are designated as Special Landscape Areas.

There are 30 distinct Landscape Character Types (LCTs) ( NatureScot (2019) Scottish Landscape Character Types Map and Descriptions. ) within the SEA study area.

Scottish Ancient Woodland Inventory and Native Woodland Survey of Scotland sites are found throughout the study area, with significant concentrations (primarily of plantation woodland) around Forres and the River Spey. There are also several areas of woodland located throughout the study area recorded as core native woodland on the Integrated Habitat Network (IHN), part of the Woodland Carbon Code or within Forest Research Experiment Sites.

There are various Tree Preservation Orders scattered through the study area, including several close to the existing A96 for example at Nairn, Keith and Thainstone.

The eastern end of the study area is within the Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Greenbelt, the purpose of which is to help avoid coalescence of settlements and sprawling development on the edge of the city, maintain Aberdeen's landscape setting, and provide access to open space.

Whilst the study area does not contain any nationally recognised scenic viewpoints, or nationally designated landscapes, there are visual sensitivities to some types of development within or visible from the locally designated landscapes. There are also numerous towns, villages and rural properties, along with numerous paths, recreational trails and areas used for outdoor recreation where there is the potential for visual effects to occur.

SEA Topic Inter-relationships

As set out in the Scottish Government’s SEA Guidance (2013) ( Scottish Government (2013) Strategic Environmental Assessment Guidance. The Scottish Government, Edinburgh. ) , the inter-relationship of environmental effects between the topics will be considered within the SEA. The guidance states that, “When considering interrelationships and secondary effects, the assessment would only have to consider the effects that can reasonably be attributed to the plan. Interactions arising from external factors, beyond the control of the plan, do not need to be included”.

Table 4.1 sets out the inter-relationships of environmental effects that could reasonably arise as a result of the A96 Corridor Review transport interventions/proposals being considered. These inter-relationships have been tailored to consider only what are considered significant interrelationships for the A96 Corridor Review. For example, air quality may be expected to have a significant inter-relationship with population and human health, through pollutant emissions in populated areas within the study area.

Table 4.1 Inter-relationships Between SEA Topics
SEA Topic Climatic factors Air Quality Population and Human Health Material Assets Water Environment Biodiversity Geology and Soils Cultural Heritage Landscape and Visual Amenity

Climatic factors

No

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

Air Quality

Yes

No

Yes

No

No

Yes

No

No

No

Population and Human Health

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Material Assets

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Water Environment

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Biodiversity

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

Geology and Soils

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

Cultural Heritage

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

Landscape and Visual Amenity

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No