New Year Honours: Professor Diana Fitzsimons awarded OBE for services to housing, to shared future and to sustainable communities

Professor Diana Fitzsimons was speaking after being awarded an OBE in the King’s New Year Honours list for her services to housing, to a shared future and to sustainable communities in Northern Ireland.

A visiting Professor at Ulster University, Prof Fitzsimons is also a Belfast Harbour Commissioner and a past voluntary Chair of Radius Housing.

“I’m really delighted and humbled at receiving an OBE, and believe that this honour also reflects well on the very dedicated and visionary voluntary board members that I have had the pleasure of working with,” the Jordanstown woman said.

“During my entire career as an urban planner and subsequently as voluntary Chair of Radius Housing; a Belfast Harbour Commissioner; and a member of various housing and planning related commissions, I have been determined to help create places where communities can thrive in attractive, safe surroundings and enjoy healthy, fulfilled lives.

"At Radius Housing, formerly Fold Housing Association, I helped promote mixed tenure development where people at all stages of life and in different economic circumstances can live side by side. I also championed housing developments where people of different religions and different ethnicities can live together harmoniously. I believe that is the only way forward for our divided society.

“But designing a housing area to high sustainability standards, to the best urban design principles and with accessible social infrastructure is not enough. At Radius Housing we were supported by the government’s TBUC scheme, which finances community investment projects to support tenants on diversity issues and training for the evolving job market and also encourages cultural inclusion.”

Prof Fitzsimons went on to praise the work of all employees at Radius Housing, who are “fully committed to diversity and who work extremely hard to provide the right type of housing for all those in need, and also ensure that tenants are given every opportunity to improve their lives”.

She added: “This award I willingly share with them all and thank the senior leadership team of Radius who supported me along the way and taught me a lot about warmth and humanity. Hopefully I have passed some of that on to the university students that I continue to teach. It is also through my teaching and my various voluntary roles that I have sought to encourage and support young women in business and career development.

“I’m also very enthusiastic about future sustainable housing-led mixed use/mixed tenure/mixed community developments at Belfast Harbour, which we are currently planning for on both sides of the river. These vibrant new neighbourhoods will be built to the highest design standards, taking on board best practice from our international research into ‘Creating Successful Communities’.

"I believe these new developments, along with the new urban park at City Quays which will be completed in early 2025, will add to the growing reputation of the city of Belfast and its iconic waterfront.”