A leading UK property body has outlined the environmental benefits of high-rise buildings, as the NI Environment Department prepares to announce tall building guidelines in the Province.

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors has said higher buildings are vital in combating Ulster's carbon footprint.

The representative body, for around 3,000 members, said: "People need to be encouraged to live in urban areas in order to improve sustainability. Quality mixed used developments with high density are the answer."

A trend already established in European cities, where similar populations to Belfast occupy smaller residential spaces, according to the Institute's NI Director Ben Collins.

Mr Collins said: "Too high a proportion of our population in Northern Ireland currently lives in suburban and rural areas.

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"This means greater distances to travel to workplaces, shops, schools, leisure centres and other social infrastructure and less efficiency in service provision.

"In order to encourage more people to live in urban areas and derive the resulting environmental and economic benefits, high density development achieved through quality taller buildings is essential.

"Tall buildings tend to have a bad name in Northern Ireland due to some of the high rise flats built in the 1960s.

"However, modern, high quality and innovative design will ensure that taller buildings provide a high quality living environment and are in keeping with the urban landscape," he added.

Initially suggested by Arlene Foster, the former Minister for Environment, plans are now afoot to provide strict development and design guidelines for tall city buildings.

Ms Foster previously stated: "There is an increasing trend in the demand for development to go higher than has previously been the case.

"Tall buildings can have an immense impact on our landscape, and my announcement will ensure that a more strategic approach is taken to this issue.

"The new guidelines will also ensure that proposals are not simply considered and determined on a purely ad-hoc basis.

"The guidelines will be a useful tool in helping to shape the form of the development in Belfast over the coming years," she added.

(PR/JM)