Portadown resident taking legal action against Council over refusal to grant dual language street sign

The residents of Woodside Hill had petitioned Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council for bilingual signage.

Armagh I reported in December 2022 how the application – for the street which runs just off the Garvaghy Road – had been deemed “valid” under policy.

ABC Council had previously adopted a policy to deal with such naming requests, a process which required two stages, the first being a petition by residents.

And to have it accepted by council, it must be representative of “not less than one third of all occupiers of premises in the street for which the application is made”

The application had met the “requisite threshold”, ABC Council was told in 2022.

However, the signage remains outstanding with one resident taking legal action as a result.

Sinn Féin Councillor, Paul Duffy, said: “An application for bilingual street signage at Woodside Hill in Portadown was submitted to Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council and met the policies criteria for bilingual signage.

“Despite the application meeting all criteria it was rejected.

“More and more people use Irish on a daily basis and, as such, the language is part of the fabric of our communities and should be represented in our street signage. Councils play a key role in promoting and protecting the language.

“It is disappointing that a resident has been forced to take legal action against our local council over a bilingual street signage application that met all criteria.”

A spokesperson for Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council told Armagh I: “Due to ongoing legal proceedings the council cannot comment further at this stage.”