Proposal for Irish Language Street Sign Near Stormont Narrowly Rejected
A proposal to install an Irish language street sign near Stormont was narrowly voted down by Belfast City Council. The sign was intended for Stormont Park, located off the Upper Newtownards Road in Belfast, close to the main entrance of the Stormont estate.
The council voted 29 to 28 against erecting the sign. The Irish translation of Stormont Park is Páirc Chnoc an Anfa.
A survey conducted on the street indicated that, according to council rules, the necessary support threshold of 15% or more was met for the sign. However, the council decided not to proceed with the installation.
The survey was sent to 83 residents at Stormont Park. Of those, 56 people (67.4%) opposed the sign, while 13 people (15.7%) supported it.
Because the support was only marginally above the 15% threshold, it was decided at the committee stage not to move forward with the new sign. This decision was narrowly upheld by the full council.
Political Parties Respond to the Decision
Sinn Féin and the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) argued that the Irish street sign should have been approved since the required level of support was met.
"It's about establishing a threshold, it's not a referendum," said the SDLP's Séamas de Faoite.
Conversely, unionist parties and the Alliance Party highlighted that a significant majority of those surveyed on Stormont Park opposed the sign.
"Given the closeness of the vote to the 15% threshold, I raised my concerns about issues that residents had about being excluded from the vote.
Even one or two missed votes could have influenced the outcome of the consultation.
Due to concerns raised by residents, I proposed a review of the data collection process, and this was agreed," said Alliance group leader Michael Long after the meeting.
Green Party councillor Anthony Flynn also supported the decision not to include Stormont Park, citing questions about the survey results.
Further Council Deliberations on Irish Street Signs
The issue of Irish street signs was extensively debated during the council's monthly meeting at City Hall.
It was decided to overturn a previous committee decision and proceed with an Irish street sign at Onslow Gardens, located off the Cregagh Road in east Belfast.
On Onslow Gardens, 41 residents opposed a new sign, while 29 supported it, representing 25% of those surveyed.
The Irish translation of Onslow Gardens is Gairdíní Onslow.
Irish language signs will also be installed on four other streets: Kimberley Street, St Johns Place, Indiana Avenue, and Mountainview Drive.
