DUAL-LANGUAGE street signs will be erected on four Belfast streets which had previously had their applications deferred.

At last month's People and Communities Committee, members were asked to consider  applications for Irish street signage in Sunningdale Park North and Ben Madigan Park South in North Belfast and Wellington Park Terrace and Wynchurch Avenue in South Belfast.

The Committee heard that the threshold of 15 per cent of residents in favour was met in each street, but councillors were asked to re-consider the application due to a larger number of residents rejecting the signage.

In Sunningdale Park North, for example, 22 per cent voted in favour but 33 per cent against. In Wynchurch Avenue, following a second survey, 15.05 per cent were in favour with 28.31 per cent against.

At Committee, following a vote, 11 members voted to erect the signage and nine against. However at the monthly full Belfast City Council meeting on Tuesday evening, DUP councillor Ruth Brooks proposed rejecting the erection of a new street sign with Irish, no further surveys be carried out and the applications closed for the streets in question.

DUP councillor Jordan Doran said that in Sunningdale Park North residents had said no to the bilingual street sign and they were ignored. He added that "no should mean no, otherwise what is the point in surveying."

Sinn Féin councillor Tomás Ó Néill questioned why there is constant opposition to the Irish language.

"I don’t understand the constant opposition to Irish language and to fight it everywhere," he said. "The reason the threshold is just 15 per cent is to promote the visibility of minority language rights."

SDLP councillor Carl Whyte said he will continue to support Irish language in the city.

"Since I was elected in 2019, I have talked about Irish language more times than any other issue," he said. "I spoke to residents in some of these streets and explained that the Irish language is not a threat. It is a dual-language policy so it can be any language. As long as I am here, I will continue to stand up and support the Irish language or any other minority language in the city."

TUV councillor Ron McDowell said the majority of residents in the aforementioned streets were "British citizens" and did not want the signage.

"The Irish language is not wanted in these areas. These areas have a right to their own identity and they do not identify as Irish," he added. "These are British citizens with a proud British identity. What we are seeing is a one-sided approach to one language in this city. This is an Ulster-Scots Presbyterian town."

DUP Alderman Dean McCullough added: "Sinn Féin seem to struggle with what democracy means and the democratic fact is that residents in these streets rejected Irish street signs and it is now been forced upon them.

"We are not against Irish street signs where they are welcome but enforcing it in communities where it is not welcome is damaging community relations in this city."

Sinn Féin councillor Ciarán Beattie reminded members that Belfast City Council was a democratically-elected council, which was elected to make decisions.

"It is disappointing that when Irish is mentioned in this chamber, it annoys some members," he said. "This Council is a democracy and that is who makes the decisions. Some members either need to accept it or stay behind."

A vote on Councillor Brooks' proposal was defeated by 31 votes to 26, meaning the Irish street signage for the four streets will go ahead.