Plans for Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service's new state-of the art interactive community safety hub in Bury have been given the green light by town hall planners.

The hub forms part of a larger multi-million pound firefighter training facility and will allow local people and schoolchildren in particular to learn how to protect themselves against fire and other dangers.

Visitors will arrive into a simulated fire control room where they'll see the different types of incidents GMFRS attends and have the chance to listen to a real 999 call. During their visit, which will be free of charge, groups will find out what it’s like to be a firefighter for the day and they'll experience all the elements of a real fire – the smell of smoke, the heat of a fire and the sound of the sirens.

Chair of Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Authority, Councillor David Acton, said: “We’re delighted that plans for our new firefighter training and community centre have been given the go ahead. This development will be a great asset not just for the Bury community but for the whole of Greater Manchester."

Work is due to begin on the site at Wellington Street by the end of the year and it’s expected that the development will be open in 2016.

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Councillors have granted planning permission for Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service's ambitious new safety and lifeskills centre at Lymm near Warrington.

The decision by Warrington Borough Council means that work on the £3.8m facility is likely to commence in January 2015. It is due to open its doors to visitors in the summer of 2016.

The centre, with its four immersive learning zones, will be housed in a striking circular building that it will share with a wholetime fire station for the communities of Lymm and the surrounding area.

For further information visit www.cheshirefire.gov.uk/public-safety/safety-centre