Potential for restoring land above A83 Rest and be Thankful: EIR release

Information requested

Information regarding the potential for restoring the land above the A83 Rest and be Thankful as a potential means of mitigating the impacts of landslide issues in the area.

1. Have there been any studies on restoring the site above the Rest and be thankful with tree coverage from top level and working down?

2. If there are any reports on the subject can you supply a copy?

3. If there have been no reports on the subject are the Scottish Government open to considering this as a possible solution?

Response

As the information you have requested is 'environmental information' for the purposes of the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (EIRs), we are required to deal with your request under those Regulations. We are applying the exemption at section 39(2) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA), so that we do not also have to deal with your request under FOISA.

This exemption is subject to the 'public interest test'. Therefore, taking account of all the circumstances of this case, we have considered if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exemption, because there is no public interest in dealing with the same request under two different regimes. This is essentially a technical point and has no material effect on the outcome of your request.

For your information, Transport Scotland is the Scottish Government agency responsible for the management and maintenance of the trunk road network - the strategically important routes around Scotland, including the A83 between Tarbet on the banks of Loch Lomond to Campbeltown on the Mull of Kintyre. All of the agency’s work is undertaken on behalf of the Scottish Government.

You have asked three specific questions, as follows – with the relevant answer shown after each:

1. Have there been any studies on restoring the site above the Rest and be thankful with tree coverage from top level and working down?

Answer: There has been a significant amount of work in recent years to understand the factors contributing to the problems of landslides in the Glen Croe area. An appraisal study of the A83, published in February 2013, examined a number of possible solutions to the issues facing traffic with a series of route options proposed. The study concluded that the Red Route should be adopted which included a combination of engineering works and the establishing of planting on the steep hillside of Bienn Luibhean above the road to assist in slope stabilisation. This led to further studies to understand the viability of area as a site for establishing planting and, ultimately, a proposal for planting a mixed species native deciduous woodland above the road. This project is currently underway and is being taken forward as a partnership between Transport Scotland and Forestry and Land Scotland (both Scottish Government agencies). The planting is intended to complement the other engineering works already constructed to help mitigate the landslide impacts.

2. If there are any reports on the subject can you supply a copy?

Answer: The information you have requested is available from the following websites. Under regulation 6(1)(b) of the EIRs, we do not have to give you information which is already publicly available and easily accessible to you in another form or format. If, however, you do not have internet access to obtain this information from the website(s) listed, then please contact me again and I will send you a paper copy:

i. A83 Trunk Road Route Study - Part A - A83 Rest and Be Thankful - Final Report

This is the appraisal study referred to in the answer to Q1. above:

https://www.transport.gov.scot/media/13529/a83-rest-and-be-thankful-project-a83-trunk-road-routestudy-report-part-a-final.pdf

ii. Rest and be Thankful – Woodland Creation

This is a link on the Forestry and Land Scotland website to a range of documents, plans and information related to the project to establish the native woodland above the A83 in Glen Croe. Appendices 7 and 8, in particular, provide further supporting studies supporting the idea of using planting to stabilise the slope.

https://forestryandland.gov.scot/what-we-do/planning/consultations/rest-and-be-thankful-woodlandcreation

3 If there have been no reports on the subject are the Scottish Government open to considering this as a possible solution?

Answer: This question is answered by the responses above.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.