The Fire Brigades Union has opposed the move

The centre will cover Kent, Surrey, Sussex, Hants, the Isle of Wight, Berks, Oxon and Bucks.

It is part of a new national network of control centres and the last of the nine to be confirmed.

The Fire Brigades Union opposes the replacement of the 46 existing control centres and the loss of 380 jobs.

London's experience on 7 July showed that only a regional control centre can deal effectively with an event of that scale Jim Fitzpatrick, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister

A spokesman said: "The Government doesn't know how much the programme will cost or if it will work at all. If this fails, it will put the lives of firefighters and members of the public at risk.

"We will carry on fighting this plan until the Government sees sense."

But Jim Fitzpatrick, a minister in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, said: "In the post-9/11 world, and in the wake of the events of 7 July, we need control centres that are resilient enough to deal with a terrorist attack or deal with any natural disaster.

"London's experience on 7 July showed that only a regional control centre can deal effectively with an event of that scale.

"While existing control rooms do a good job, they are not designed to deal in a co-ordinated way with major regional or national incidents - they need improvement and investment."

John Bonney, chief officer of Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service, said he welcomed the move as it ended a long period of uncertainty.

But John Parry, chief officer of Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service added: "I remain concerned about some aspects of the project and will ensure that any issues are resolved and that Oxfordshire residents continue to receive a high level of service from us."