The bid to change the official name of Derry, approved by the city's council on Tuesday, could prove a long and complicated affair involving legislative change and royal approval.
British government sources at Stormont said yesterday there will be no immediate movement.
A statement from the Northern Ireland Office said: "The Secretary of State will need a chance to consider the motion that has been passed and its implications both for the people of the city and for the community as a whole in Northern Ireland."
One well-placed source suggested that little would be allowed to get in the way of efforts aimed at dealing with the political crisis following suspension of the Stormont institutions.
Unionists continued to react angrily yesterday to the council's decision, supported by the SDLP and Sinn Féin.
The DUP is planning to meet Ms Angela Smith, the direct rule minister in charge at the Department of the Environment to express concern. The party's MP for East Derry, Mr Gregory Campbell, complained at the actions of the SDLP in the city in siding with Sinn Féin on the name-change issue.
He said: "We are particularly disappointed that the party that have for many years held themselves up as a paragon of cross-community virtue have effectively said to unionists here: 'It doesn't matter about you'. "
Mr Pat Ramsey, a veteran Derry SDLP councillor and leader of his party's group, countered saying: "The sensitivities of individuals and of both communities [will be] respected." He added: "The process will now be done on a sound legal basis, with equality proofing and with a community relations assessment."
The Superintendent of the Methodist City Mission, the Rev Dr Frederick L. Munce, said the decision would not help cross-community relations.
"We in the City Mission are trying to encourage people to cross the River Foyle and to shop there and to be fully integrated into the community life of the city generally,and this decision to change the name is very unhelpful at the moment," he said.
Dr Munce, who was recently awarded an MBE for his promotion of cross-community projects in Derry, said the council's decision would have a profound impact on the mindset of the Protestant population.