Dual English and Irish language street signs are to be erected in a Portadown housing development after two thirds of residents who responded voted in favour.
The decision was taken after a separate vote at ABC Council’s planning committee.
It follows a report brought to the April meeting by council’s head of building control Tom Lavery.
It was in May last year that council received an application for dual language street signage – namely Irish – to be erected at Ballyoran Hill.
The council’s current street naming and numbering policy was issued in October 2020 to ensure the local authority fulfils its statutory responsibility.
The application process comprises two stages. The first dictates that an application for dual language street signage, when submitted to council, must be accompanied by a signed petition representing not less than one third of all occupiers of premises in the street.
The names on the signed petition submitted are verified by council using the Electoral Register, before a stage one report is presented to the Planning and Regulatory Services Committee.
The application was deemed valid and moved to stage two, with the council moving to canvass, by post, all occupiers of premises on the relevant street and seeking their views on the application.
The Ballyhoran Hill application was progressed to stage two last summer.
A total of 38 residents were surveyed. Royal Mail tracking identified that three of the survey recipients were no longer at the
address and the threshold was then adjusted to two thirds of 35 residents which was rounded up to 24.
In all, 25 were in support while 10 were not – therefore exceeding the necessary threshold.
The committee was told the cost of providing and fitting new dual language street signage would be in the region of £1,000, with four signs to be put in place. The cost of the Royal Mail recorded postal service for the survey came in at £136.04.
Councillors were then asked to “review the information” and make a decision.
Alliance Councillor Peter Lavery proposed the signage be approved as the “threshold has been met in relation to this application”, which was seconded by Sinn Fein Councillor Paul Duffy.
DUP Councillor Scott Armstrong asked for a recorded vote.
After a brief voting recess, committee chair, Councillor Mary O’Dowd, reported the application had been passed with nine votes cast, with five – made up of Sinn Fein and Alliance councillors – in favour, while four DUP representatives abstained.
