Council set to spend £20,500 on new Irish street signs in Omagh

ELEVEN more roads in and around Omagh are to get Irish language street signs – at a total cost of £20,500 to local ratepayers.

People living on 19 local roads were contacted recently by Fermanagh and Omagh District Council after applications were made to have dual language signs erected on their streets.

Such applications can be made by a resident of an area, a local councillor or a property developer.

For the signs to be erected, at least 15% of residents living in the area who respond to a subsequent council survey must be in support of the new signs.

While this threshold was met for 11 of the roads put forward in the new applications, the response from residents in the other eight areas did not meet the 15% threshold.

The council has now recommended erecting the new Irish language signs on the 11 roads where the threshold was met.

The roads where the new proposed signs will be erected are Strathroy Road, Highfield Avenue, Highfield Grove, Highfield Place, Highfield Close, Highfield Court, Killybrack Heights, Speckled Wood Grove, Fallagh Road, Glenmacoffer Road and Pollanroe Road.

The eight roads where not enough residents were in support of the proposed Irish language signs were: Gortin Road, Strathroy Park, Killybrack Glen, Killybrack Road, Oakfields, Oaklands Lane, Shergrim Grove and Aughnamirigan Road.

The report on the latest dual language sign applications was due to be discussed at a meeting last night of the council’s Environmental Services committee.

The report states the council approved a budget of £150,000 in February 2024 for the 2024/25 financial year for the installation of dual language signage.

This budget also covers the cost of replacement of damaged signs.

Council officers recommended councillors approve the £20,500 needed for the new Irish language signs on the eleven local roads.

If the recommendation was approved at last night’s meeting, there will be 41 new signs erected along the 11 roads, at a cost of £500 per sign.

There will be nine signs erected on Fallagh Road, eight on Glenmacoffer Road, six on Strathroy Road and four on Pollanroe Road. All the other roads will have two new street signs erected.