Portadown Orange Lodge is to seek a review of the Parades Commission's decision to ban it from marching down the Garvaghy Road on Sunday. However, it is highly unlikely the ruling will be overturned.
Nationalists have welcomed the decision and have urged the Parades Commission to hold firm.
Several thousand Orangemen and their supporters will gather at Drumcree Church for their annual service. Afterwards, they will march to police lines to hand over a letter of complaint. Portadown Orange Order spokesman, Mr David Jones, said their protest would be peaceful. Expressing disappointment at the decision, he said: "Over the past 12 months, there has been a lot of effort put in by the Orange side to get this matter resolved, both in making contact with third parties and ensuring our point of view was put across.
"We are quite concerned that Parades Commission chiefs have been putting in a staving-off process. Last year, we put through extra information but they said they received it too late. They had it this year again and now they are talking about going back to mediation.
"We are concerned this matter has been through many different facets of mediation and still has not been resolved."
The Church of Ireland Primate, Archbishop Robin Eames, said the order must recognise its duty to protest peacefully. "I appeal to the Orange Order in Portadown to act with extreme dignity and caution following their attendance at the service in Drumcree, to abide by the law, and to recognise the awesome responsibility on any organisation which engages in public protest in Northern Ireland at this time.
"Given the tensions elsewhere in the province this summer, I appeal earnestly for a peaceful expression of protest at Drumcree and urge, on a basis not only of moral authority but in the light of my own efforts to seek a solution, that there is a complete and absolute absence of violence."
Local Sinn Féin Assembly member, Dr Dara O'Hagan, said the Parades Commission was right to ban the march. "The Orange Order refuses to talk to the residents on Garvaghy Road. In light of this approach, the Parades Commission could have reached no other conclusion." SDLP deputy leader, Ms Bríd Rodgers said: "This is the right decision and I urge the Parades Commission to stick to it. The people in Portadown on both sides are sick to death of the yearly suspense and trauma surrounding Drumcree. Dialogue remains the only way of resolving the issue."
The SDLP met the Police Service of Northern Ireland last night to ensure "adequate security" would be provided on Sunday. The Assistant Chief Constable, Mr Stephen White, who is in charge of the security operation, said officers would move quickly to arrest troublemakers. There would be a large British army presence in reserve if required, he said. However, he hoped to be able to have a reduced security presence in comparison to previous years.
"What I am trying to do is to be responsive to the Orange Order who are saying they want a peaceful protest, responsible to the community who say they want protection but not a ring of steel and, at the same time, people want to see an effective police service which deals quickly and robustly with crime."