Stormont has earmarked funding for the long-delayed Desertcreat training college but the various bodies involved were last night unable to say exactly what will be built and when work might begin.
First announced in 2004 and due to be finished four years later, the planned £130m facility near Cookstown, Co Tyrone was to have been shared by police, fire and prison services.
However, despite having spent £12m on the project to date, there have been concerns that it may have to be shelved.
A year ago the Stormont executive issued a rare joint statement reaffirming a commitment to the facility, but since then little progress has been made.
In Thursday's budget, finance minister Arlene Foster pledged £3.9m for Desertcreat but yesterday, the Department of Justice, PSNI and Office of First Minister and Deputy First Minister (OFMDFM) declined to say what the money was for.
An OFMDFM spokesman said the funding would be a "huge boost for all the people of Mid Ulster".
"A paper will come to the executive in the time ahead from the lead department and the details of the development and timescales will be made public at the appropriate time," he said.
A Department of Justice spokesman said: "Decisions on the way forward for the NI Community Safety College have yet to be taken and, ultimately, will be a matter for the executive following consideration of the outline business case."
Mid Ulster MLA Patsy McGlone said his constituents had been let down by "too many false dawns" and proof of the Stormont executive's spending promises would be in "delivery on the ground".
"We have all had our hopes raised and dashed far too often to be persuaded by a promise or thin paper commitment to this project," the SDLP representative said.
"I remain of the view that the potential of this site could transform local communities and I remain relentlessly ambitious that we can deliver on that potential to provide jobs to a range of struggling sectors."
