A contentious Orange Order parade will be allowed to march along the mainly-nationalist Garvaghy Road in Portadown this Sunday, the Parades Commission has confirmed.

The regulatory body has placed strict conditions on the event. Rather than starting at 13:00 BST with 60 participants as requested by the Orange Order, the march has been ordered to begin at 08:00 with a maximum of 35 people.

In a detailed 31-paragraph determination published online, the five-person commission, chaired by Prof Evelyn Collins, stated that the ruling is "not, and should not be perceived, as a victory for one side or a loss for another." Instead, the body described it as the direct application of the legal framework to the available facts.

Before reaching the decision, the commission held separate face-to-face discussions with both the Orange Order and the Garvaghy Road Residents' Coalition, alongside consultations with senior police officers. It is understood around 200 police officers are being brought in from Scotland.

According to the determination document, the Police Service of Northern Ireland submitted written and oral assessments stating they had no information indicating the parade would lead to disorder or violence, though officers are planning for all reasonably likely scenarios.

The decision has triggered immediate opposition from local residents. The Garvaghy Road Residents' Coalition has launched a legal challenge at the High Court in Belfast to overturn the ruling, with a hearing scheduled for Saturday morning.

Breandán Mac Cionnaith of the residents' coalition described the local reaction as one of "shock" and "anger", arguing that after 28 years of avoiding confrontation, the commission's decision is creating the grounds for renewed friction.

First Minister Michelle O'Neill, who joined a group including Sinn Féin representatives outside the High Court, criticised the decision as having "no reasonable or logical basis" and noted the event's history of sectarian violence. In response to concerns, the Portadown Orangemen have made clear that there is no threat of violence from their march.

At Westminster, Prime Minister Andy Burnham appealed for calm, telling BBC News NI that the issue had been independently determined and that it was not his place to interfere, while acknowledging the strong feelings in Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Bryant added that hard-won progress has withstood sharp disagreements in the past and must do so again.

The Drumcree parade dispute has a long and difficult history. In the mid-1990s, stand-offs over the route led to riots, roadblocks, and murders, threatening the peace process. The Orange Order last walked the Garvaghy Road in 1997, and the Parades Commission has restricted the route since it was established in 1998.

What remains unresolved right now is whether the march will actually take place, with everything resting on Saturday morning's High Court ruling in Belfast. I'll be following this one — check back for updates.