Millions of public records are on the move, following the approval of a planning application for a new £29 million Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI).

The records, which date from the 13th Century, will be housed in a state-of-the-art building, which received planning permission within six months.

Praising the Planning Service for the speed with which the application was processed and approved, Environment Minister, Arlene Foster, said: "Work has already begun to deliver a fundamental overhaul of the planning system which will support economic and social development and environmental sustainability."

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A number of short-term measures have also been implemented, during the review, to drive forward major planning schemes in the Province. These include a new streamlined Strategic Projects Division, which is working with developers through "effective pre-application discussions in dealing with large scale investment proposals".

The new office is to be built in the Titanic Quarter of central Belfast, where a major redevelopment project comprising commercial, tourism, residential, educational and other uses is already underway.

The new building will mean the closure of the current office which is situated in a residential area of south Belfast.

Minister for Culture, Arts and Leisure Edwin Poots said: "My department has committed £29 million to the re-location of PRONI in the hope that everyone from the region and indeed visitors to Northern Ireland can use the resources it holds."

(JM)