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A planning application has been lodged for the development of a £42.2m training facility for the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) at Desertcreat, County Tyrone.

The plans seek to develop the NIFRS Learning and Development Centre, which opened outside Cookstown in 2019.

If approved, the NIFRS said the project would represent the largest capital investment in its history.

It is hoped construction work would begin in 2022 and be complete by 2024.

The plans include a specialist driving and road traffic collision training area and a training environment for collapsed buildings and below ground rescue.

The training space would also include a swift water rescue training facility and a "call out village".

Health Minister Robin Swann welcomed news that plans for the second phase of the facility had been lodged.

"Firefighters run toward danger when others run away and it is vitally important that when they face those challenges they receive the best possible training," he said.

Chief Fire and Rescue Officer Michael Graham said the plans represented "a huge investment, not just in our employees, but in the safety of everybody in Northern Ireland".

He said they would give firefighters the "real world" experience in dealing with the hazards they face while protecting the community.