The Parades Commission has granted permission for an Orange Order parade to proceed along the Garvaghy Road in Portadown on Sunday, subject to strict conditions.

The parade, organised by Portadown District LOL No.1, will be limited to 35 participants, including five named marshals. It must leave Drumcree Church no later than 8am and disperse at Carleton Street Orange Hall by 9.30am. No supporters may accompany the parade or congregate along the route. Only the banner of Portadown District LOL No.1 may be carried; no other banners, flags or emblems are permitted. No bands may take part.

The determination, issued on Friday, allows a parade on the Garvaghy Road for the first time since 1997. The Parades Commission has blocked the return leg of the annual Drumcree parade along the road every year since 1998. The Commission said it had considered the notification, representations from residents and the organiser, and the applicable legal framework. It stated the conditions sought to balance the right to peaceful assembly with the rights and concerns of residents.

The Garvaghy Road area is mainly nationalist. First Minister Michelle O'Neill condemned the decision, saying there was no reasonable or logical basis for forcing an unwanted march through the community. She said the community had lived in peace for 28 years and that the march was steeped in a history of hate, sectarian violence, and murder. Sinn Féin stands fully with the Garvaghy Road community, she added.

Residents had met with politicians in Dublin ahead of the ruling. Linda O'Neill of the Garvaghy Road Residents Coalition said the community would mobilise and come together if the parade went ahead. She said the community had been let down before and had every right to live in peace.

The ruling follows a High Court challenge that quashed a previous determination in July. The Commission had been criticised by unionist politicians over that decision. The parade on Sunday was notified as a replacement for the quashed July 5 parade.

The Commission described the Drumcree parade as one of the most contentious in Northern Ireland. It noted past disorder and loss of life linked to the dispute, but also that there had been no violence since restrictions were introduced in 1998 and that Portadown District LOL No.1 had complied with over 1,300 determinations.

In its determination, the Commission said the decision should not be seen as a victory for one side or a loss for another. It urged all those affected to avoid actions that could increase tensions.