Powys County Council are set to consider plans to build a £600,000 'salt dome' in Llangammarch Wells later this year.

The council says the new building at its Llangammarch Wells depot will increase salt storage capacity and allow it to meet Welsh Government requirements, which say the recommended stock level held by the authority should be 34,500 tonnes.

Currently the depot, which is a base for Highway Maintenance, Repairs, Vehicle Storage, Salt Storage and Salt Distribution, stores approximately 1,600 tonne in a prefabricated concrete building.

Should planning consent be granted, the existing building will be demolished and replaced by a new dome store increasing capacity to around 7,500 tonnes.

Cabinet Member for Highways, Councillor Phyl Davies said: "The investment is part of the council’s Winter Service Plan and will help meet plans to increase the overall holding capacity to 1.5 times the average use over a five year period. In Powys’ case the recommended salt stock level is 34,500 tonnes, we currently have capacity for some 23,000 tonnes.

"Our highway service provides winter maintenance for the county network as well as working on behalf of the Welsh Government’s North and Mid Wales Trunk Road Agency, so having suitable, strategically position salt storage is essential.”

The storage plans will be considered by the county council’s planning committee later this year and if approved work on the site could start next spring.