Brian a man of many talents

Although not a native of Northern Ireland, Brian has spent over 40 years in the province, helping to better the community by working with groups and professions in town planning, housing, healthcare, the arts and various charities. Brian (61), a board member of the Arts Council and Regional Director of the Royal Town Planning Institute, has been living in Moira for the past 20 years with his wife Mary, a former VP of Saintfield High School. Born in London, Brian first came to Northern Ireland as a graduate of the new University of Ulster in 1970. He went on to study town planning at Oxford and worked as a town planner in the London boroughs, Brian returned to Northern Ireland in 1975, joining the new Housing Executive as a planner, later to become the regional planner. Brian was responsible for a number of major housing and planning projects in diverse areas such as Poleglass and Londonderry, working with communities during the worst of the troubles. In 1984 he was awarded membership of the Royal Town Planning Institute as a chartered town planner. Brian became well known in the housing field in the province, having at some stage worked on housing plans in each of the 26 District Councils in Northern Ireland. In 1990 Brian was appointed Director of Planning in Healthcare with the Green Park Healthcare Trust. As Director of Planning, Brian was responsible for a number of key regional healthcare development projects. Notable was the rebuilding of part of Musgrave Park Hospital (following the bombing of the hospital in 1992) and the development of rehabilitation facilities with the Mitre Charity for which Brian was presented to Her Royal Highness Princess Ann for the contribution the unit made to the rehabilitation of the Omagh bomb victims in 2000.