Belfast City Council to consider having some streets with Irish signage at one end and English-only at the other

More “long streets” in Belfast could see Irish language signs erected in parts where they are wanted by residents and English-only signs in stretches where they are not.

Members of Belfast City Council have agreed to survey residents of three streets in the north of the city over dual language signs, where council officials have warned it could spark “community tension”.

Applications for surveys have been requested for Oldpark Road, Donegall Park Avenue and Skegoneill Avenue.

Under the council’s policy on bilingual signage, one resident or a local councillor can trigger a survey asking residents if they support a new sign.

In most cases, if 15% of residents support a new sign, then it will be erected, however some applications with a majority opposing the signs have been put to the “back of the queue”.

At the recent meeting of the council’s People and Communities Committee (PCC), it was agreed to survey the three “long streets” in north Belfast, with council officials to provide additional analysis of the results to to gauge any difference of opinion in different parts of the street.

The result could see parts of the streets featuring Irish and English signage, while other parts remain English language only.

This currently exists in the Donegall Road, where bilingual signage has been installed in the Falls Road side, but not past the Broadway roundabout towards the loyalist Village and Sandy Row areas.

A council report said: “Carrying out of a survey in itself in these areas has the potential to give rise to community tension, as could the erection of the street signs and therefore has the potential to give rise to adverse impact on the grounds of good relations. It is acknowledged, however, the process could alternatively assist in promoting cultural and linguistic diversity.”

It added: “The council retains ‘residual discretion’ in relation to these applications. In effect this gives elected members the option to not proceed to survey and/or halt the erection of an Irish language street sign in this street where, in the view of elected members…this action would be considered inappropriate.”

• A council officer told the committee meeting: “The proposal is not to have the 15 percent apply to the whole street. It is not a case that we will undertake the survey, and if 15 percent show support that we would come forward with a recommendation for the entire street.

“What we are suggesting is that we would present the survey findings in a bit more finer grain…and then it would be a matter for the committee to consider whether they would want to implement the dual language street sign, and what location.”

The PCC committee last week agreed to install bilingual signs in four streets for which the applications had previously been deferred.

Alliance councillor Jenna Maghie said her party backs the threshold “while also allowing the committee the discretion to consider local opinions”.

“Our position is clear: we support the 15% threshold, but if the survey reveals that more people are opposed, we would like the decision to be deferred and reassessed,” she told the Irish News.

“We have consistently stated that we will support the provision of dual language street signage in line with best practice where demand from local residents is demonstrated through transparent procedures.”

SDLP councillor Gary McKeown said the council is “working through the various scenarios that will understandably arise” in the signs policy roll-out.

Green Party councillor Anthony Flynn said: “We will support proposals for dual-language signage that meet the policy threshold and will not engage in any narratives that attempt to uphold an idea that any street or area can have a political affiliation.”

However, DUP councillor Fred Cobain said: “What is the point of coming back to these applications at a later date if the majority are opposed? That date could be six weeks, or six months. No-one is against dual language signs where residents want them, but if a majority is opposed, that should be respected.”