Mid Ulster: more English-Irish street signs approved
All recent requests to Mid Ulster District Council for dual-language English-Irish street signage have been approved, with one exception,
In Chambre Park, Stewartstown, only 36 per cent of the residents who did express a view were in favour of the erection of bilingual signs.
In all, 41 survey letters were sent to residents of Chambre Park, and only 12 returned. Of those letters returned, one was invalid, four were in favour of bilingual street signage, and seven against – well short of the 51 per cent majority required.
At Lurgaboy Lane in Dungannon, 48 survey letters were issued, and only 17 returned. One was invalid, 14 were in favour of bilingual signage, and two were against. With an 88 per cent majority, Lurgaboy Lane met the test for dual-language street signage.
Meanwhile in Roughan Place, Coalisland, 13 survey letters were issued. Seven were returned, with one deemed invalid, six were in favour and none against. That was a 100 per cent majority of those residents who did express a view on the matter.
In Pinewood Manor in Ballygawley, 27 survey letters were sent, and eight returned. All were in favour of such signage.
Consequently, Irish-English street signage will be provided at Pinewood Manor, Ballygawley, Roughan Place, Coalisland, and Lurgaboy Lane, Dungannon, but not at Chambre Park, Stewartstown.
Last year the BBC reported that two thirds of incidents involving bilingual street signs being damaged in the whole of Northern Ireland in the past five years were recorded in the Mid Ulster area.