Banbridge District Council has beat off stiff competition from across Ireland to win the highly contested 'Leadership in Sustainable Development Award'.

Council Chairperson Elizabeth Ingram accepted the prize at this year's Sustainable Ireland Awards, held in partnership with the Northern Ireland Environment Agency.

Ms Ingram said the authority strives to "act as an exemplar" for sustainable development by introducing green practices and policies into the running of council buildings.

"This award is testimony to the pro-active approach taken by the council to achieve a better balance between economic growth, environmental protection and social progress that maximises the ability of future generations to meet their own needs," she said.

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David Lindsay, Environmental Services Director, said the council has demonstrated its commitment to sustainable development in a wide range of ways.

"We incorporated a number of eco-friendly features into our expanded community recycling centre in Banbridge.

"We’ve also adopted sustainable development and procurement policies across the council," he said.

"Two council departments along with the civic building itself have been accredited to the international ISO 14001 Environmental Management Standard and we are working towards such accreditation for the entire organisation."

Sustainable Ireland General Manager Golda Burrows added: "The judging panel was very impressed with Banbridge District Council’s ongoing efforts to lead by example when it comes to promoting sustainable development not just across the organisation but also to the wider community."

(PR/KMcA)