ULSTER Architectural Heritage (UAH) has called on councils to be "much more proactive in protecting architectural heritage".
The organisation, which works to promote the historic environment, said now that the "value of the embodied energy in old buildings has been recognised", planners "should be much more rigorous in granting approval for new buildings".
Referring to Belfast as an example, the UAH said the city centre has a "unique architectural heritage which needs to be protected, rather than abandoned for modern buildings that now dominate" the area.
"As a designated Conservation Area, the city centre is classified for its architectural and historical interest, ultimately what makes it distinct," it said.
"Yet buildings in the historic core of our city are regularly demolished to make way for new multi-storey blocks that go against the historic grain, impede important views, detract from our historic buildings and add obtrusive bulk to the cityscape."
The body said many of the remaining historic buildings within the city centre "lie vacant, some even open to the elements, and with all sense of pride or purpose gone they have become a backdrop for anti-social behaviour and vandalism".
"Too often, it seems, developers acquire properties without thought for their possible restoration, often evicting long-standing family businesses and either blocking the buildings up or demolishing them outright while they seek planning permissions, in the process further eroding Belfast’s sense of place and character," it added.
The UAH said there are "few incentives for developers to see their empty buildings brought into use" and therefore buildings "are often neglected because of an inability to see their potential for re-use".
The organisation called for central and local government to use the "tools available".
"Further legislation is necessary, bringing together the range of miscellaneous powers held by planners and councils to deal with dangerous buildings, public health issues and public nuisances," it said.
