Description of local environment

Air quality

There are no Air Quality Management Areas (AQMA) which have been declared by the Highland Council within 10km of the scheme (Air Quality Management Areas).

There are no air quality monitoring sites located within 10km of the scheme (Scottish Air Quality).

There are no air pollutant release sites listed on the Scottish Pollutant Release Inventory (SPRI) within 10km of the scheme (Scottish Pollution Release Inventory).

Baseline air quality for this scheme is primarily influenced by traffic along the A86 trunk road. Secondary releases are likely delivered by land management within the wider area.

Cultural heritage

There are no Listed Buildings, Scheduled Monuments, Garden & Designed Landscapes, Conservation Areas, Battlefields or World Heritage Sites within 300m of the scheme (PastMap).

According to PastMap, one feature of lesser cultural heritage value (those which are listed on the National Records of the Historic Environment (NRHE) and Historic Environment Record (HER) databases) is located within 300m of the scheme: NRHE and HER ‘Pitmain Burn’ (reference 140053), lies approximately 250m northwest of the scheme.

Landscape and visual effects

The scheme does not fall within a National Scenic Area (NSA) (Scotland's Environment). However, the scheme does fall within Cairngorms National Park (NatureScot Site code: 8623) which is designated for the following Special General Qualities:

  • Magnificent mountains towering over moorland, forest and strath.
  • Vastness of space, scale and height.
  • Strong juxtaposition of contrasting landscapes.
  • A landscape of layers, from inhabited strath to remote, uninhabited upland.
  • ‘The harmony of complicated curves’.
  • Landscapes both cultural and natural.

Landscape Character Type for the scheme is listed as ‘Upland Strath’ (LCT 127 - Upland Strath).

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

  • Rectilinear fields and farms
  • Managed woodland
  • Plantation
  • Urban (Kingussie town)
  • Rough grazing

The land surrounding the trunk road is classified as 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 A86 trunk road connects Spean Bridge and Kingussie. It commences at the A86 / A82 junction within Spean Bridge leading generally north-eastwards for 65 kilometres to its junction with the A9. The A86 is a single carriageway along its length.

Biodiversity

The scheme lies approximately 790m north (approximately 1km upstream) of designated sites River Spey Special Area of Conservation (SAC) (NatureScot Site Code: 8365), Insh Marshes SAC (NatureScot Site Code: 8274) and River Spey – Insh Marshes Special Protection Area (SPA) (NatureScot Site Code: 8571)/RAMSAR (NatureScot Site Code: 8452).

Due to proximity and hydrological connectivity of the works to these designated sites, a Habitats Regulations Appraisal (HRA) has been produced. Refer to the relevant assessment section below for details.

There are no locally or nationally designated sites for biodiversity such as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), National Nature Reserves (NNR) or Local Nature Reserves (LNRs) within 300m of the scheme (SiteLink).

Numerous bird species were recorded on NBN within 2km over a ten-year period. Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended), all wild birds and their active nests are protected.

The NBN Atlas holds the following records of invasive native perennial plant species (denoted by *) and injurious plant species (as listed in the Network Management Contract (NMC)) using the same search criteria:

  • Broad-leaved dock (Rumex obtusifolius)
  • Common Ragwort (Jacobaea vulgaris)
  • Creeping thistle (Cirsium arvense)
  • Rosebay willowherb (Chamerion angustifolium)*
  • Spear Thistle (Cirsium vulgare)

Transport Scotland’s Asset Management Performance System (AMPS) holds no records of invasive and injurious plant species (as listed in the NMC) within 300m of the scheme.

Habitats to the south of the A86 carriageway includes open fields primarily used for livestock grazing with freshwater provided by ‘Pitmain Burn’. To the north of the A86 carriageway beyond the residential properties dominates densely planted woodland.

There is one area of ancient woodland located 270m north of the scheme extent. It is designated as ‘Long-Established (of plantation origin)’ (Ancient Woodland Inventory).

There are no Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs) present within 300m of the scheme (Highland Tree Preservation Orders).

A Preliminary Ecological Appraisal (PEA) was undertaken by the BEAR Scotland NW Environment Team on 11 December 2025.

Geology and soils

Bedrock geology (BGS Geology Viewer) within the scheme consists of ‘Loch Laggan Psammite Formation – Psammite, micaceous’.

Superficial deposits (BGS Geology Viewer) within the scheme consists of:

  • Alluvium – Clay, silt, sand and gravel
  • Glaciofluvial Sheet Deposits – Sand, gravel, and boulders

Soil type within the scheme are recorded as humus-iron podzols (Scotland's Soils).

Soils within the scheme extent are recorded as being of Carbon and Peatland ‘Class 0’, class is associated with mineral soil where peatland habitats are not typically found in such soils (Carbon and Peatland Map).

There are no Geological Conservation Review Sites (GCRSs) or SSSIs designated for geological or earth sciences within 300m of the scheme (SiteLink).

Material assets and waste

The drainage improvement works are required to mitigate flooding of the A86 carriageway during periods of heavy rainfall. Materials used will consist of:

  • Carrier pipe
  • Gullies
  • Filter material
  • Kerbs

Soil excavated from embankment will be reused within the site. Waste generated by the clearing of the gullies will be removed from site and disposed of in a licensed waste facility.

The nearby BEAR Scotland Kingussie depot will be used as a site compound.

Noise and vibration

A search of Scotland's Noise Map returned modelled noise records for average noise levels in the day-evening-night (LDEN) within the A86 and its verges ranging between 63 and 67dB at the scheme extents.

The scheme does not fall within a Candidate Noise Management Area (CNMA) as defined by the Transportation Noise Action Plan (TNAP) (Transportation Noise Action Plan-2019-2023).

Given the rural nature found within the scheme, it is considered likely that the baseline noise levels will be low, with noise mainly influenced by vehicles travelling along the A86 and railway line, which lies approximately 135m south of scheme extents.

Population and human health

The scheme lies on the western outskirts of the rural town of Kingussie, which lies approximately 19km southwest from Aviemore within the Highland Council region. Approximately 20 residential properties are located within 300m of the scheme extent. The closest property lies approximately 30m northwest from the A86 carriageway, with roadside verge screening provided by trees and vegetation. Access to the property is via the A86 carriageway within the scheme extent. One other access point to residential properties is located on the eastbound carriageway within the scheme extents.

A paved pedestrian footpath is located along the westbound carriageway which runs the length of the scheme extents.

The National Cycle Network (NCN) route 7 (OS Maps) is located adjacent to the westbound carriageway, throughout the scheme extents.

Two Core Paths (Highland Council; Path references: LBS80 & LBS799), and one walking route listed on WalkHighlands (Kingussie and Newtonmore via Loch Gynack) are located within the scheme extents.

The Highland Mainline railway (with associated land) forms a corridor to the south of the A86 throughout the scheme extent (135m at its nearest point). There are no laybys, bus stops, or other public services found within the scheme.

According to Scottish Road Works there are no other works scheduled within 300m of the scheme (Scottish Road Works Online).

Transport Scotland’s manual data counter (site name: ATC01052) located 350m southwest from the scheme, recorded an annual daily total (ADT) of 2830 motor vehicles in 2023 (no data available for 2024), of which 14% were Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) (Transport Scotland).

Traffic Management will consist of lane closure with temporary traffic lights as well as a section of the adjacent cycle path will need to be closed and redirected.

Road drainage and the water environment

Pitmain Burn (unclassified by SEPA) is spanned by the A86 at the western extent of the scheme. In addition, the new drainage will discharge into an existing outlet at the bank of the Pitmain Burn . Pitmain Burn is a waterbody visible on the 1:50,000 OS maps (SEPA OS Open Data map).

Pitmain Burn discharges into the River Spey – Spey Dam to Loch Insh (ID: 23142) approximately 1km south of the scheme extents. The River Spey – Spey Dam to Loch Insh is a river in the Scotland river basin district and forms a part of the River Spey SAC, Insh Marshes SAC, River Spey – Insh Marshes SPA/RAMSAR sites. It was awarded an overall status of ‘moderate’ in 2024 by SEPA under the Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC (WFD) (Water Classification Hub).

The River Gynack (ID: 23137) lies 830m east of the scheme extent and is part of the River Spey SAC. It has been awarded the status of ‘moderate’. There is no hydrological connectivity between the scheme and the River Gynack.

Upper Spey Sand and Gravel (ID: 150814) is a groundwater body in the Scotland river basin district which underlies the scheme. It was awarded an overall status of ‘good’ in 2024 by Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) under the Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC (WFD) (Water Classification Hub).

A number of minor tributaries and drainage ditches lie within 300m of the scheme.

The A86 carriageway within the scheme falls within an area that has sections with high likelihood of surface water and small watercourse flooding (10% chance each year) (SEPA Flood Maps).

Climate

The Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 (‘The Act’), and its subsequent amendment under the Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) (Scotland) Act 2019, sets the framework for the Scottish Government to address climate change. The Act has an ambitious target to reach Net Zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045, with any residual emissions balanced by removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. This is five years earlier than the rest of the UK due to the greater potential for carbon sequestration in Scotland.

The Act was amended to replace interim targets with carbon budgets. Carbon budgets are legally binding caps on greenhouse gas emissions in Scotland over five-year periods. In line with the Act, the Climate Change Committee (CCC) published advice on the level of Scotland’s four carbon budgets, covering the period 2026 to 2045, recommending what the Scottish Government sets its carbon budgets at for annual average levels of emissions. These recommendations are based on an ambitious but credible route to Net Zero for Scotland by 2045.

Emissions reductions from surface transport are the largest contribution to meeting the first two carbon budgets. The pathway for surface transport emission reduction is primarily driven by the uptake of electric vehicles, in addition to measures to enable a shift from car use to public transport and active travel, which all play a role in reducing emissions from fossil fuel cars. Ensuring efficiency of existing transport infrastructure and improving/providing new active travel facilities is therefore important to support these carbon reduction budgets.

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 the above noted legally binding target of net-zero by 2045. 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).