In a political row at Stormont, a billboard located on the Camlough Road outside Newry has become the subject of a council investigation. The billboard, which has in recent years displayed Sinn Féin branding and slogans, currently carries a message related to Palestinian children.
Infrastructure Minister Liz Kinnings, who is an assembly member for the area, has denied that the structure is a “Sinn Féin billboard,” stating that it poses a “low risk to road users.” However, other parties in the Northern Ireland Assembly have called for the removal of the billboard from the Department for Infrastructure’s (DfI) land.
Newry, Mourne and Down District Council has confirmed that the matter is “under investigation” by its planning department. The DfI has stated that it will “liaise with the council regarding the investigation.”
The debate surrounding the billboard was the subject of a heated discussion at Stormont on Tuesday, after the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) tabled a motion calling for its removal. Kinnings insisted that “there is no Sinn Féin billboard” and described the debate as “all based on something that’s in the past.”
Internal emails obtained by the BBC’s Nolan Show reveal that in September 2023, a senior DfI engineer asked if “planning enforcement would investigate and if necessary open an enforcement case.” A senior planning enforcement officer at the council also inquired about the billboard in April 2024.
In a statement, a council spokesperson said, “This matter is under investigation by Newry, Mourne and Down District Council’s planning department. The council is therefore not in a position to make any further comment.”
The DfI, on the other hand, stated that “priority is given to the removal of posters/banners that have been erected in contravention of the road order where this is a clear safety risk.”
The ongoing investigation by the council and the continued debate at Stormont highlight the political tensions surrounding the controversial billboard.
