Baseline Summary

Overview

The environmental study area considered is a 15km-wide corridor (7.5km either side of the existing A96).

Baseline Summaries by SEA Topic

Overview

Environmental designations are located throughout the study area. The number of environmental designations is notably higher at the western end, particularly between Inverness and Huntly where several designations cover a large area. The full extent of the Moray Firth coastline within the study area has national environmental protection. The study area crosses the River Spey at Fochabers; the river is designated as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC), Special Protection Area (SPA), internationally designated Ramsar wetland site and a 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 study area.

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

Climatic Factors

According to the Scottish Transport Statistics 2021, transport accounted for almost a third of Scotland’s total GHG emissions in 2019. The largest source of transport emissions is cars, followed by HGVs, and aviation. The proportion of single occupancy car trips also shows an underlying increasing trend, with a rise of 6% recorded between 2008 and 2018.

Over the last few decades, Scotland has experienced a warming trend, shifting rainfall patterns, and rising sea levels. 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.

Air Quality

There are no declared Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs) within the environmental study area and air quality is generally good. The Pollution Climate Mapping (PCM) model shows that roadside annual mean nitrogen dioxide (NO ₂ ) concentrations are predicted to be compliant with Limit Values set by the European Air Quality Directive.

Noise

Scotland’s noise map illustrates noise exposure from rail, road, air traffic and industrial sources in accordance with the Environmental Noise Directive. The main sources of noise within the environmental study area are sections of the A96 itself, A941 towards Rothes, A944 towards Kingsford, A940 towards Grantown on Spey and B9013 towards Burghead.

Population and Human Health

Aberdeen is Scotland’s third largest city by population and its fourth most densely populated area. The largest settlement in Aberdeenshire is Peterhead; in Highland Council area it is Inverness, and in Moray it is Elgin. There are a number of areas of high deprivation within Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, Moray and Highland Councils’ administrative areas.

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 within the corridor and along the coast from Findhorn to Portgordon, as well as in forests and along lochs within the study area. Additionally, there are Rights of Way (ROWs) around the towns of Forres and Elgin, north-west of Keith and ROWs along the coast from Burghead to Lossiemouth.

Material Assets

The principal transport infrastructure within the environmental study area includes: the A96 Trunk Road (between Aberdeen and Inverness); other A-class roads; the rail network between Inverness and Aberdeen, which includes 12 rail stations; six airports including Inverness and Aberdeen international airports.

Natural assets within the study area include:

• Approximately 294 surface waterbodies, including several rivers
• 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 areas of Class 2 (land capable of producing a wide range of crops) and Class 3.1 (land capable of producing consistently high yields of a narrow range of crops and/or moderate yields of a wider range of crops) prime agricultural land.

Water Environment

There is a total of approximately 294 surface water features within the environmental study area, which includes rivers, lochs, water bodies and coastal waters. There are 11 surface water catchments within the corridor which are traversed by the A96.

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.

Biodiversity

International designations in the environmental study area include four Ramsar wetland sites, eight SPAs and seven SACs. National designations include 43 biological SSSIs.

Scottish Ancient Woodland Inventory and Native Woodland Survey of Scotland sites are found throughout the study area, with significant concentrations around Forres and the River Spey.

Geology and Soils

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

Cultural Heritage

The environmental study area contains four historic battlefield sites. There are a large number of heritage designations throughout the study area, 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.

Landscape and Visual Amenity

There are no areas of national landscape protection, such as National Scenic Areas or National Parks within the environmental study area. There are 13 Local Landscape Areas (LLAs) and 30 distinct Landscape Character Types (LCTs) within the study area.