DUP launch bid to halt Irish signs in Unionist area that rejected them

Five times as many people in the north Belfast district voted against Irish markers as wanted them, and the idea also failed to reach the city council’s minimum threshold of support under its dual language policy.

But Sinn Fein led a successful push to build them anyway, arguing council operating methods they’d agreed to follow should be overturned in order to facilitate the move.

Now the DUP have lodged a “call-in” with the council’s chief executive If successful, that would see the issue brought back for more debates and potentially halted altogether.

Stated the party’s alderman Dean McCullough: “Our call-in sets out clearly our procedural and community impact grounds for requesting that the decision be reconsidered.”

A call-in argues that either council procedures weren’t properly followed in making a decision, or the impact on specific sections of the community wasn’t properly considered.

This case involves Donegall Park Avenue, which is defined as a ‘long street’ under Belfast Council’s dual-language sign policy. That means it not only covers a large area, but is also divided into sections home to broadly unionist and broadly nationalist pockets that have opposing views on building the signs.

Every party on the council agreed a list of which areas fall into that category some time ago. Last week, however, Sinn Fein insisted Donegall Park Avenue doesn’t count as one so Irish should signs be built along its entire length, instead of only where they’re wanted as the ‘long streets’ policy suggests.