DUP and Alliance block Irish language street sign in east Belfast

The DUP and Alliance Party are blocking the erection of Irish signs on an east Belfast street where almost half of residents said they did not want it.

The application had been made for Shandon Park, off the Knock Road, with 41 residents in favour (16.8%), compared to 121 (49.5%) against.

Seven residents said they had no preference.

Residents were surveyed under Belfast City Council’s policy on bilingual signs, which allows for signage to be erected if just 15% of residents agree.

Under a pre-2022 policy, a new bilingual sign required the backing of 66.6% of a street’s residents.

Just one resident or councillor is now required to trigger a street survey, compared to 33.3% of residents under the old policy, but each application is subject to an equality assessment.

At a meeting of the council’s People and Communities Committee, a report stated some residents had raised concerns over costs and said “the money would be better spent on other public services”.

DUP councillor Sarah Bunting proposed the council reject the application for Shandon Park, despite it meeting the required threshold under the new policy.

Alliance councillor Jenna Maghie said: “I can’t remember quite as high a number against.

“I appreciate those in favour have reached that 15 percent threshold that is in the policy, but I think it is important we remember that discretion is also in the policy.

“When 50 percent of the street is against it, that is a very clear example of when we should exercise that discretion.”

Sinn Féin’s Róis-Máire Donnelly said: “I completely understand what people are saying. My issue again with this is that we are talking about a minority language, and we are asking that a minority language supporter becomes the majority. It wouldn’t be required anywhere else, where we would ask a minority to prove they have a majority.”

Green councillor Anthony Flynn said: “We see this as a minority rights issue, it is very clear, and black and white, for us. It is quite disappointing that the Alliance Party particularly continues to go against a minority rights issue.”

SDLP councillor Gary McKeown said: “Shandon is a translation from Irish, so we would essentially be going back to the original term it was taken from. In this case it should be less controversial frankly because we are just going back to what it was.”

At the meeting, 10 other streets were approved for Irish dual language signage.

Sinn Féin proposed erecting the signs on all 11 streets, and in a vote, 10 committee members were in favour, and 10 were against.

The chair, DUP councillor Ruth Brooks, got the casting vote, and voted against it.

A DUP amendment proposed all applications but the Shandon Park sign be passed.

This also saw 10 for and 10 against, but passed with Cllr Brook’s deciding vote. A vote to ratify the decision will take place at the next full council meeting.