Ballycastle placards removed after residents’ concerns prompt swift DfI action

The poster placed at two roadside junctions in Ballycastle, and inset, TUV MP Jim Allister and Sinn Féin MLA Philip McGuigan

Political placards which had become the focus of local concern in Ballycastle have been removed following intervention by the Department for Infrastructure, prompting a fresh political row over standards for public displays in the town.

The signs, located at the junction of Mary Street and Cushendall Road, were taken down after North Antrim MP Jim Allister contacted DfI Roads on 25 March on behalf of residents who had raised objections.

According to Mr Allister, local people described the displays as “inappropriate” and said they were having a negative effect on the “general atmosphere” of the area.

Department officials later confirmed that the local Section Office issued an immediate instruction for the signs to be removed, with the placards at the Mary Street junction taken down on Thursday 26 March.

A separate placard had also been removed earlier in the month at Dalriada Hospital, following intervention by UUP Leader and North Antrim MLA Jon Burrows who recently said he had contacted local Sinn Féin representatives who he praised for swiftly removing the poster. He said the move “helped protect the town’s tradition of positive cross-community relations”.

Residents’ complaints lead to rapid response

The removal followed direct representations made by Mr Allister after residents contacted him with concerns over the placement of the roadside signs.

He said the matter was initially raised with Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, which confirmed that responsibility for roadside displays lay with the Roads Service under the Department for Infrastructure.

Following that clarification, the North Antrim MP said he sought urgent confirmation on whether the signs complied with the relevant regulations.

Commenting after the removal, Mr Allister said:

“I am pleased that the Department for Infrastructure acted so decisively to resolve this matter. Residents had reached out to me expressing clear unease regarding the placement of these placards and the negative impact they were having on the local environment.

“After Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council confirmed that the responsibility for roadside displays lay with the Roads Service, I pressed the Department to clarify if these signs complied with regulations.

“The fact that the Department issued a removal instruction almost immediately, justifies the concerns raised by the community. It is essential that our public spaces and road junctions remain compliant with safety and environmental standards, and I thank the Department for their prompt response.”

The speed of the response is likely to intensify scrutiny over how roadside political displays are regulated across North Antrim.

Sinn Féin questions consistency of enforcement

The removal has also drawn a strong response from Sinn Féin MLA Philip McGuigan, who defended the content of the Ballycastle poster and questioned whether the same standards would now be applied consistently elsewhere.

Responding to the controversy, Mr McGuigan said:

“I am aware of the recent commentary from Unionist politicians regarding a poster in Ballycastle carrying the simple message ‘A United Ireland – A new Chapter’

“It is a message that speaks to a legitimate and growing aspiration among many people in Ballycastle, and across the north and throughout this island.

“While some in political unionism locally may want to take people back to the days when Unionists ruled the North and when domination, discrimination, gerrymandering, and injustice were rife, those days are gone and never coming back.

“Republicans and Nationalists will continue to work with everyone who lives here to try and build a better future for all our citizens, based on equality – a very legitimate political aspiration.

“Many people will now be asking why this poster in Ballycastle was removed, whether the same criteria will now be applied equally in every case.”

His remarks move the issue beyond a local signage complaint into a broader debate over political expression, equality, and consistency in the management of shared spaces.

Wider political tensions over public displays

Mr McGuigan also widened his criticism to include other forms of public political and sectarian displays, arguing that standards must be applied fairly across all communities.

He said:

“It will not be lost on many that some Unionist politicians are quick to object to legitimate political messaging, yet often remain silent when openly sectarian and racist displays are erected on bonfires, when flags are used to intimidate and sectarianise shared or neutral spaces, when political displays dominate towns and villages, and when kerbs are painted to mark out territory.

“If the standard is to be equality and fairness, as I agree it should, then it must be fairness for everyone.”

The comments are likely to resonate beyond Ballycastle, where issues around flags, posters, bonfires, kerb painting and political symbolism have long remained sensitive across Northern Ireland.

What happens next

The placards at the Mary Street junction have now been removed following the Department’s intervention, while wider questions may remain over how similar roadside political displays are assessed and enforced in other locations. The development has prompted calls for clarity on the criteria used in such decisions and whether the same approach will be applied consistently in future cases.

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At a glance

• Political placards at the junction of Mary Street and Cushendall Road in Ballycastle have been removed

• North Antrim MP Jim Allister KC said residents described the displays as “inappropriate”

• The Department for Infrastructure Roads confirmed removal action was taken on 26 March

• A separate placard had already been removed earlier in the month at Dalriada Hospital

• Sinn Féin MLA Philip McGuigan has questioned whether the same standards will now be applied equally

• The removal has sparked a wider political row over fairness in public displays