Groundworks to start within weeks at new Desertcreat Fire Training Centre

Groundsworks at the Fire Service's new £45m Training Centre outside Cookstown are expected to start next month, according to Mid Ulster Sinn Féin MLA Michelle O'Neill.

The party's northern leader had written to the Department of Health for an update on the progress on the new centre.

Welcoming the news that the construction phase would commence before the end of January, Ms O'Neill said: " When I was Health Minister I was keen to ensure that this project progressed and became a reality.

“This development will be good for Mid Ulster, for local business and potential jobs. It brings a major public service into the heart of this constituency and I believe will lead to further development of other public services and business in the Cookstown area and across Mid Ulster.”

Sinn Fein placed the Desertcreat project as a priority piece of work and it is good to see that this will start to take shape over the next period of time. This is the second significant public sector development in Mid Ulster in the past two years having already seen Rivers Agency relocated to the nearby Loughry Campus”, said Ms O’Neill.