Bid to have bilingual street signage erected on Portadown’s Garvaghy Road allegedly rejected in secret

A bid to have bilingual street signage erected in Portadown was allegedly rejected in secret, the High Court has heard.

Counsel for a resident in the town’s nationalist Garvaghy Road area insisted full disclosure of Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon (ABC) Borough Council’s decision-making process is necessary.

Iris Hagan is taking legal action against the local authority after it refused an application for dual Irish and English signs on her street at Woodside Hill.

The petition was turned down by the council in October last year.Ms Hagan has commenced judicial review proceedings against the decision, claiming a lack of transparency and failure to provide adequate reasons.

Her lawyers claim the minutes from meetings of the council’s planning committee where the application was discussed have not been properly disclosed.

At a preliminary hearing on Monday, barrister Jude Bunting KC pressed for any relevant documents.

“This is a council that has form in respect of this policy,” he submitted.

“(There was) delay in taking the decision, and secrecy in the way the decision was taken.”

Ms Hagan’s challenge is being backed by campaign group Conradh na Gaeilge.

According to the Irish language body, the application was turned down despite overwhelming support for bilingual street signs in the area.

Petitions must obtain an initial support of 33% of residents, and then be backed by at least two thirds of households on the electoral register.

Campaigners claim the required level of support was obtained.

Ms Hagan’s legal representatives contend that the overwhelming majority of residents on her street backed the proposal.

The decision reached by the council was irrational and based on opposition among unionist parties to Irish language street signs, it is alleged.

Further grounds of challenge involve claims of discrimination based on political opinion.

Legal papers in the case cite the religious and political make-up of residents on the street, describing it as part of a small Catholic/nationalist community in Portadown.

It is further contended that the public were excluded from every stage of the decision-making in breach of a statutory duty.

A barrister for the council told the court the application for dual language signs was the first to reach the second stage of the process under a policy adopted in 2019. He confirmed that the identities and political affiliations of members of the relevant planning committee are a matter of public record.

Adjourning the case until March, Mr Justice McAlinden told the parties he will review issues about the level of disclosure at that stage.