The Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) has met over 300 listed building owners to discuss saving energy in historic buildings.

The Owners' Forum is one of several key initiatives announced by a previous Environment Minister, Arlene Foster.

The forum will give owners a chance to raise issues with the Agency and for it to provide information to this key group.

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Michael Coulter, the Director of Built Heritage within NIEA said: "Most of our listed buildings are of traditional construction, built pre-1919, with materials and methods no longer in common use.

"We believe that more informed owners are better placed to realise the full potential of our heritage. The Forum aims to provide owners, custodians and managers of our listed buildings with the information they need to make informed decisions on how to operate their buildings with greater energy efficiency and, as a result, at lower cost while still preserving their historic character."

Mr Coulter continued: "The event also provides us with an invaluable opportunity to get feedback from this key stakeholder group."

(NS/GK)