Ards and North Down Borough to adopt first policy on dual language street signs

Ards and North Down Borough is to receive its first set of regulations for the erection of dual language street signs.

Elected members at Ards and North Down Council have signed off on council officer’s recommendations on procedure and consent thresholds for putting up secondary signage of a language other than English.

The council, which has never had a policy before on dual language street signage, went for the old Belfast dual language signage policy.

With this policy at least one third of people appearing on the electoral register of any street in Ards and North Down Borough must first support a petition to begin the progress of an application for a dual language street sign.

Two thirds of the street occupiers appearing on the electoral register must then indicate they are in favour of a second language street sign, after which the council will erect the sign. People not returning a reply will be deemed not to be in favour of the application.

The council report states that when an application is set in motion “the council will canvas by post all people” with a letter that is “designed to make the expression of views as simple as possible.” The reply will be returned in a prepaid envelope, and should be returned within one month of receipt.

The council adds: “Consideration will be given to ‘long streets’ where majority opinion on whether to have a second language street sign may differ between readily identifiable, substantial lengths of the street.

“In these circumstances consideration will be given to the erection of dual language nameplates in those substantial portions of the street where the required majority of occupiers have expressed a wish for such a nameplate."

The council states the second language sign will be placed immediately below the English language sign, with lettering smaller than the English language version “to avoid any risk of confusion to the emergency services.”

Independent Unionist Councillor Tom Smith was the only elected representative to voice opposition to the council recommendation. He said: “It seems we are being told we have no other choice but to adopt a dual language policy in some shape or form. I don’t see any reason why we should go to the expense of having dual language signs.

“And before anybody gets worked up too much, I don’t care whether it is Irish, Ulster Scots or any other minority language. For a tiny minority to read the street name twice, at added expense to the ratepayer. If there was an option I would certainly keep it as English-only.”

In Belfast the policy covering requirements for the erection of a street sign in a language other than English changed last July, following a public consultation survey indicating support around 58 percent. Since then the council has received over 600 requests for dual language signs - it is suspected the vast majority of these will be for Irish signs.

Sinn Fein, Alliance, the SDLP, the Green Party, and the People Before Profit Party all support the new street sign policy, while the three unionist parties, the DUP, UUP and PUP, are against.

The new policy means at least one resident of any Belfast street, or a councillor, is all that is required to trigger a consultation on a second nameplate, with 15 percent in favour being sufficient to erect the sign. Non-responses will no longer be counted as “against” votes, and there will be an equality assessment for each application.