Proposals to restrict building in Northern Irelands countryside have been published by Northern Ireland Planning Minister Lord Jeff Rooker.

At the launch of the Planning Policy Statement (PPS 14), the minister said: "PPS 14 is designed to protect one of Northern Irelands greatest assets, its countryside. At present the numbers of rural planning approvals here are three times the combined total in England, Scotland and Wales."

He added: "In between 2004 and 2005 there were 9,520 approvals for new dwellings. Indications are that the 2005 to 2006 figure will be well over 12,000. Thats equivalent to a town the size of Ballymena being built and is five times the level of just over a decade ago."