Irish signs for street where more than two-thirds of residents don't want them - East Belfast road squeaked over council's target by less than one percent
Irish language signs to be built on an east Belfast street where more than two-thirds of residents don't want them.
Stormont Park, a leafy residential road that runs next to the estate containing the Northern Ireland Assembly, is in line for signs in Irish despite an overwhelming majority of residents rejecting them.
But because a survey squeaked over a controversial council target by less than one percent, it looks likely the signs will get a green light despite clear local opposition.
According to official reports, the street should have “Pairc Chnoc an Anfa” blazed across it as just 15.66% of residents are in favour of the move, while 67.47% say it should be stopped.
Belfast Council’s policy is to build Irish signs if at least 15% of residents want them, no matter how many others object. Stormont Park clears that threshold by 0.66%.
The upshot is the 13 residents in favour of Irish signs look set to get their way, while the 56 who are dead against them are going to be overridden.
According to council reports, two householders on Stormont Park went further than just replying to the council’s survey and actually wrote to officials making their objections clear.
Both complained about the low threshold for green-lighting dual language signs, as well as suggesting the issue has been politicised.
One argued the 15% target is “not democratic”, while the other felt it “lacks legitimacy and is purpose-built to create division and resentment, not foster community cohesion”. The second also urged the council to reconsider its policy as “a matter of fundamental democratic principle” and replace it with a process that is “fair, legitimate and truly representative of the will of the community”.
Stormont Park’s Irish signs are up for debate at a Belfast Council committee meeting tomorrow night. It’s possible politicians could vote to break with the policy and refuse to build them, but that rarely happens.
Another east Belfast street also looks set to get Irish signs despite more residents being against them than in favour.
At Onslow Gardens off Cregagh Road, 35% of residents are against having “Gairdini Onslow” added to signs while 25% want it to happen. Council policy is to do it anyway.
The system of building dual language street signs has been a regular bugbear for Belfast’s unionists since the council massively relaxed its conditions a couple of years ago.
Since then, more Irish signs have been approved than in the 24 years of a previous stricter regime, while no signs in any o ther language have been given a green light.
All it takes is for a single resident of a street, or a councillor representing the district, asking for Irish signs to kickstart the process of putting them in place.
Dual language signs have previously been approved over massive local objections or on slim passes of the 15% threshold – for example, a street in the nationalist Ardoyne area was given a green light with just 15.47% of residents voting in favour.
On east Belfast’s Shandon Park, Irish signs were built despite half of residents voting against them. Infamously, in autumn last year one was vandalised with an angle grinder, cut in half to only leave the name in English.