A COUNCIL depot used to stockpile thousands of tonnes of salt for treating local roads in winter is set to be taken over by the Highways Agency.

The Almondsbury site has a salt barn, from where a fleet of gritters are sent out to treat roads that are the responsibility of South Gloucestershire Council.

But in 2009 the council decided it should merge its depots on to a single site in order to save £90,000 a year and get rid of surplus assets.

It wants to move its gritting operation to its Broad Lane depot in Yate, which will allow a Highways Agency offer for Almondsbury – a key location close to the motorway network – to be accepted.

But the council will first have to ensure it can replace its gritting storage facility and a conditional contract with the agency is expected to allow for planning permission to be sought and granted before any move takes place.

A new salt barn is expected to cost up to £600,000 but that will be more than covered by the deal with the agency. There will also be enough left over to carry out further improvements.

Dave Perry, pictured, South Gloucestershire's deputy chief executive, said ownership of the Almondsbury depot was complex, preventing the council making substantial investment in the site.

It was also in the green belt, while there were fewer restrictions to expansion at Broad Lane, which is allocated for employment generation in an emerging development blueprint.

The council and the agency currently own separate parts of the Almondsbury site, although the council has been the main user of the facility.

Negotiations have continued for several years to try and resolve the legal position and the proposed change is believed to be the best answer to each organisation's operational requirements.

The agency is responsible for motorways and major trunk roads and said the depot near the junction of the M4 and M5 was of strategic importance.

It wanted a greater presence on the site, including making use of the salt store.

A spokesman said: "We are in talks with South Gloucestershire Council about the future of the Almondsbury depot. It is our intention to maintain the depot's salt barn to ensure the treatment of our roads during winter is not affected."

Meanwhile two caretakers' cottages at the Almondsbury depot will be sold, with the occupiers given first option to buy them.