The iconic Castle Armoury building in Bury has been closed temporarily due to safety concerns, forcing army and air cadet groups to look for a new base.

The grade II-listed site on Castle Street is owned by the Reserve Forces’ and Cadets Association (RFCA), an arm of the Ministry of Defence, and they are responsible for the decision to close.

As well as being home to army and air cadets, as well as being used by the 5th Fusiliers Machine Gun Platoon, the Castle Armoury has stood and been operational in Bury town centre since it was built on the remains of Bury Castle in 1868.

The Lancashire Fusiliers have been using the building since 1908, and now the announced closure is forcing them to find a new home after more than 110 years.

James Hutton is Sgt Instructor at Greater Manchester Army Cadet Force Bury Detachment.

He said: “We parade 35 to 40 cadets twice a week. Teaching them citizenship and military principles. Giving them a grounding in life.

“We’ve got 40 young adults who give up their time to be better citizens. Staff have been giving up our time all through lockdown.

“There was no heating in there all last winter.

"Even in the middle of winter with no heating we still had 20 to 30 coming every week.

"That’s how dedicated they are.

“We’ll be looking for somewhere new.

"Somewhere we can have 50 people twice a week.

"There’s a shooting range and a huge drill square – it’s not an easy place to replace.”

In response to the temporary closure, a spokesperson for RFCA said: “Activities at the Castle Army Drill Hall, owned by the Bury Castle Armoury Trust, have been temporarily suspended as remedial works are required on the property.

“Units and groups who use the facility will be offered the use of an alternative location as an interim solution.

“The remedial work planned for the building has not been affected by estate development plans elsewhere.

“The RFCA will explore, alongside key partners, how the property can be modernised to offer an improved experience for Reserve and Cadet forces.”

The council is helping to support organisations affected by the closure.

Cllr Richard Gold, armed forces lead at the council, said: “Bury has a proud military heritage, and we know how important Castle Armoury is to Bury and our armed forces in Bury.

“The RFCA have informed us that they took the decision to close it on safety grounds, and it will take a great deal of money to carry out the necessary work.

“We will be contacting organisations and concerned individuals to launch a broad-based campaign asking the MoD to provide the funds for the RFCA to repair and bring the Armoury back to its former glory.”