Baseline Profile

4.1 Introduction

4.1.1

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 (as described in Figure 3.1).

4.1.2

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

4.1.3

The study area considered in the SEA 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), described in Section 1.4, and is illustrated on the Appendix B figures. The width and extent of the study area was considered appropriate for an initial high-level review of potential effects on each SEA topic and shall be extended or reduced as required during the A96 Corridor Review and SEA process. Four council areas were identified within the 15km-wide study area:

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

4.1.4

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

• Ordnance Survey (OS) Maps;
• Scotland’s Environment website;
• SEPA Water Classification Hub;
• SEPA Flood Maps;
• NatureScot SiteLink;
• National Soil Map of Scotland;
• Historic Environment Scotland website;
• Scottish Forestry Open Data;
• Scotland’s noise map(Scottish Government, 2022b);
• Local authority GIS data.

4.1.5

Internationally and nationally designated sites and key environmental constraints identified from the baseline data collection are shown in the Appendix B figures.

4.1.6

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 Section 6.3. The environmental baseline data is provided in full in Appendix D. A summary of the key national-level baseline findings for each SEA topic is provided below:

4.2 Climatic Factors

4.2.1

According to the Scottish Transport Statistics 2021, transport accounted for 29.2% of Scotland’s total greenhouse gas emissions in 2019. The largest source of transport emissions is cars at 38%, followed by HGVs at 25%, and aviation at 16% (Transport Scotland, 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). 

4.2.2

Over the last few decades, Scotland has experienced a warming trend, shifting rainfall patterns, and rising sea levels (Scotland’s Environment, 2021). 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, 2022b).

4.3 Air Quality

4.3.1

Principal sources of air pollution within the study area are likely to comprise road traffic emissions from the A96 itself, and other roads, as demonstrated from the following documents. Further details on the air quality impacts and existing sources of concentration data are discussed in Appendix D.

4.3.2

In June 2021, Aberdeen City Council published their 2021 Air Quality Annual Progress Report (APR), which states that:

the main pollutants of concern in Aberdeen City are nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) and particulate matter (PM₁₀), related to road traffic emissions. (Aberdeen City Council, 2021)

As such, Aberdeen City Council has declared three Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs) due to predicted exceedances of the national air quality objectives for both NO₂ and PM₁₀. The Anderson Drive AQMA, declared for the likely exceedances of the annual mean NO₂ and PM₁₀ AQOs, encompasses Haudagain Roundabout and Auchmill Road on the northern fringes of Aberdeen and includes the junction between the A96 and A92.

4.3.3

The latest Aberdeenshire Council APR was published in June 2021 and states that ‘the Aberdeenshire Council area enjoys good air quality with no exceedances of the national air quality objectives’. Consequently, there is no requirement for Aberdeenshire Council to declare any AQMAs (Aberdeenshire Council, 2021).

4.3.4

The latest Moray Council APR was published in June 2020 and states that:

there are no existing significant air quality issues identified within the Moray Council administrative area. The measured 2019 annual mean concentrations of NO₂ within the Moray Council area remain well below the Air Quality Standards set by the Scottish Government and have done so for several years now.’ (Moray Council, 2020)

4.3.5

The latest Highland Council APR was published in December 2020 (The Highland Council, 2020). It states that the air quality within the Highland Council area is generally good, with the exception of the existing AQMA declared for the potential exceedance of the annual mean NO₂ AQO within Inverness City Centre. Inverness City Centre is beyond the corridor review study area.

4.4 Population and Human Health

4.4.1

Aberdeen is Scotland’s third largest city by population and its fourth most densely populated area (National Records of Scotland, 2021a). The largest settlement in Aberdeenshire is Peterhead, which has a population of 19,270 (National Records of Scotland (NRS), 2016). 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’.

1.4.2

The largest settlement in The Highland Council area is Inverness, which has a population of 63,220 and is the fifth largest of Scotland’s seven cities by population (National Records of Scotland, 2016). The Highland Council is also Scotland’s largest local authority by area, with a total land area (including all islands at low water) of 26,484km2 (The Highland Council, undated.).

4.4.3

The largest settlement in Moray is Elgin, with a population of 24,760 (National Records of Scotland, 2016).

4.4.4

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, 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.

4.4.5

Access to services is an important consideration for rural communities and improved connectivity can reduce health inequalities.

4.4.6

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 is discussed in Section 4.3 and noise is discussed below.

4.4.7

No baseline noise surveys have been undertaken at this stage, however Scotland’s noise map (Scottish Government, 2022b) illustrates noise exposure from rail, road, air traffic and industrial sources in accordance with the European Parliament and the Council Directive for Assessment and Management of Environmental Noise (2002/49/EC). The main sources of noise within the A96 corridor are sections of the A96 itself, A947 towards Newmachar, A941 towards Rothes, A944 towards Kingsford, A940 towards Grantown on Spey, B9013 towards Burghead, some industrial sources in Aberdeen, Aberdeen Airport and sections of the Aberdeen – Inverness rail line. The greatest consolidated noise sources are at the eastern end of the A96 corridor due to proximity to Aberdeen and its associated various industrial land uses and main transport routes entering and exiting the city. Beyond this area, the main sources of noise are from the A96 and the railway line, which both follow a similar alignment through the A96 corridor. 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 Environmental Noise Directive. 

4.5 Material Assets

4.5.1

The main transport infrastructure within the study area includes:

• the A96 Trunk Road (between Aberdeen and Inverness);
• other A-class roads;
• the rail network between Inverness and Aberdeen which includes 11 rail stations (excluding a new station at Dalcross which is currently under construction);
• six airports including Inverness and Aberdeen international airports;
• seven hospitals;
• eight operational renewable energy developments and five onshore wind farms.

4.5.2

Natural assets within the study area include:

• five designated main rivers;
• Scottish Ancient Woodland Inventory and Native Woodland Survey of Scotland sites;
• land of varying degrees of agricultural value, including approximately 53.7km² and 174.6km² of Class 2 and Class 3.1 prime agricultural land respectively (Scotland’s Soils, 2017).

4.6 Water

4.6.1

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.

4.6.2

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). 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.

4.6.3

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). 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.

4.6.4

The Scottish Environmental 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) and high (1-in-10 year) likelihood of flooding (Figure B4). A further set of maps identifies flood risk from rivers and coastal for the medium (1-in-200 year) scenario in 2080 (Figure B5).

4.6.5

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, and a flood study for Inverurie and Port Elphinstone is underway. 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.

4.7 Biodiversity

4.7.1

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.

4.7.2

National designations include 43 biological Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs).

4.7.3

One Local Nature Reserve (LNR), Findhorn Bay, is also located within the study area.

4.7.4

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.

4.7.5

Undesignated habitats are also important for biodiversity and providing habitat connectivity.

4.8 Geology and Soils

4.8.1

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

4.8.2

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. The definitions of these agricultural soil Classes are provided in Appendix D.

4.8.3

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.

4.9 Cultural Heritage

4.9.1

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.

4.9.2

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.

4.9.3

There is 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.

4.9.4

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.

4.10 Landscape

4.10.1

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.

4.10.2

There are 30 distinct Landscape Character Types (LCTs) within the study area (NatureScot, 2019).

4.10.3

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

4.10.4

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.

4.10.5

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 Local Landscape Areas. 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.

4.11 SEA Topic Inter-relationships

4.11.1

As set out in the Scottish Government’s SEA Guidance (2013), 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.

4.11.2

Table 4.1 sets out the inter-relationships of environmental effects that could reasonably arise as a result of the A96 Corridor Review interventions/proposals being implemented. These inter-relationships have been tailored to consider only what are considered significant interrelationships for the project. 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	Soils	Cultural heritage	Landscape and visual amenity
Climatic factors	n/a	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
Air quality	Yes	n/a	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	No	No
Population and human health	Yes	Yes	n/a	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Material Assets	Yes	No	No	n/a	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
Water environment	Yes	No	Yes	No	n/a	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Biodiversity	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	n/a	Yes	No	Yes
Soils	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	n/a	Yes	Yes
Cultural heritage	Yes	No	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	n/a	Yes
Landscape and visual amenity	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	n/a