PLANS for a new salt dome in Otterburn have been labelled as "totally inappropriate" by local residents.

Northumberland County Council has submitted plans for the construction of a covered storage dome to hold up to 4,000 tonnes of road salt in the village.

The proposed salt barn would be constructed at the council depot in Otterburn, with resident Emma Anderson fearing that the 44.91 foot structure would “dwarf the surrounding properties”.

Emma said: “The Rede valley is an area of considerable natural beauty, on the edge of the Northumberland National Park, and much loved by residents and visitors alike. Why then, with recent developments and revitalisation, would NCC want to erect an ugly, 45-foot high salt dome in the middle of the village?”

In response to the application, Otterburn Parish Council unanimously agreed to object to the plans because of the “large scale of the barn and visual impact on the village”.

This will be the second time the parish has opposed the county council’s plans for such a structure. In 2016, a storage barn measuring 33 feet was proposed, but was later rejected.

A spokesman for the county council said: “Operating winter services from Otterburn is critical to effective treatment of roads in the large surrounding area and up to the Scottish Borders.

“Since the previous planning application we have explored alternative locations, but unfortunately any alternative location has a significant impact on response times in salting the surrounding road network. An alternative design option for a rectangular solution would be approximately 30m x 30m area with an overall height of 13m.”