Court of Appeal hears residents’ parade challenge over Drumcree dispute
A challenge to the decision to allow a controversial Orange Order parade to go down a predominantly nationalist road is being heard in court.
The deadlock over the proposed march in Portadown – opposed by residents of the Garvaghy Road – has lasted since last Sunday morning.
The stalemate has reopened what was once the most bitter parading dispute in Northern Ireland, with stand-offs in the mid-to-late 90s accompanied by riots, roadblocks and killings.
The fresh Court of Appeal application argues that the Parades Commission, the organisation that approved the march, had “materially misdirected itself” on the police assessment of the potential for disorder.
The application also said the commission had not given an “accurate representation” of PSNI evidence in its decision.
The Garvaghy Road Residents Coalition (GRRC) and their legal representatives arrived at the court on Monday morning.
Loyalist activist Jamie Bryson, who has been acting as legal advisor to the Portadown District, Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) MP Carla Lockhart and Orange Order legal representatives also arrived.
The hearing began in Belfast at about 10:30 BST.