RESIDENTS are at loggerheads with their parish council over plans for a salt dome in their village.

Otterburn resident Emma Anderson is among those who have lambasted the parish council for changing its mind, after initially objecting to Northumberland County Council’s plans for a covered storage dome to hold up to 4,000 tonnes of road salt at the village’s council depot.

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

The plans stated that the structure would stand at 45-feet high, and residents said it would be twice the size of other buildings in the area.

But, further information submitted by the county council said additional landscaping and tree planting would be carried out along the roadside and along the boundaries of the depot.

It also said that green roofing materials would be used and the concrete side walls would also be covered with timber cladding in order to make the barn blend in with the natural surroundings

At February’s meeting, parish councillors reviewed the additional information and the majority of councillors decided not to object to the application on the condition the whole area would be maintained and kept looking presentable so it did not become an eyesore.

“I think the decision they have taken is completely perverse,” said Mrs Anderson. “I can’t understand why they would turncoat and change.

“I am thoroughly disgusted with both the decision taken by the parish council and that it has reneged on an earlier decision based on a flimsy representation of cosmetic proposals and very little fact.”

Otterburn Parish Council were contacted for comment.