Council chair & MLA call for signs to be removed

Signage which has been erected outside Damolly Retail Park.

There are growing calls for tourism signage to be replaced after the Chair of Newry, Mourne and Down District Council weighed in on the matter.

Cllr Valerie Harte’s comments come after Newry & Armagh MLA Justin McNulty claimed the signage “fails to direct visitors to South Armagh”.

He accused those tasked with promoting tourism in the district of wiping South Armagh “off the map”.

“When the Council proposed a tourism strategy last year which excluded South Armagh, my SDLP colleagues and I fought against it and succeeded in having it binned,” he said.

“There are just eight designated Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty in the North of Ireland, and South Armagh is home to one of them. The fact that the authorities are unwilling to signpost people to the Ring of Gullion is completely unacceptable.

“My SDLP colleagues and I will be challenging this in the strongest possible terms. South Armagh deserves equal treatment and equal support from our Council and government bodies.”

Now, Cllr Harte has also spoken to the Chief Executive of the council to have the signs replaced “as soon as possible”.

“The Chief Executive has agreed to our request and is now working with DFI to address this issue,” said the Newry Sinn Féin rep.

“While we welcome any initiative that aims to promote the untapped tourism potential of Newry, there were a number of issues with these signs that we felt were unacceptable.

“The placement of one of these signs is a real hazard for pedestrians, in particular to mothers with prams or those with additional or limited mobility needs and we are hopeful that this sign will be removed.

“In addition the lack of bi-lingual signage, which runs contrary to council policy, inaccurate information and the omission of Slieve Gullion as a tourist destination for the district were not acceptable.

“Sinn Féin had tried to have Slieve Gullion included as part of the council's name a number of years ago but unfortunately we did not receive the support of other parties at the time.

“Tourism signage is an important part of realising the tourism potential of Newry city and the surrounding areas but it’s important that such signage is safe, accurate and follows all required policies.”

A council spokesperson said, “Newry, Mourne and Down District Council and Department for Infrastructure are aware of concerns raised in respect of the recent erection of tourist information signs on the approach roads into Newry City.

"Both the Council and the Department are currently working together in an attempt to resolve the concerns raised.”