Noel Gallagher and Susan Sarandon among celebrities to sign Drumcree march letter

The letter, addressed to Northern Ireland Secretary Sir Chris Bryant, calls on him to work with the Irish government to appoint an "independent international mediator" to "facilitate a robust, durable solution".It added that "central to any just resolution must be the primacy and protection of the local community".It also said it was "paramount that the residents be protected from any form of forced processions that disregard their consent, safety and right to live in peace free from intimidation".The Northern Ireland Office (NIO) declined to comment on the letter but it is understood the NIO has received it.Dexy's Midnight Runners frontman Kevin Rowland, who signed the letter, told BBC News NI that it "originated from an honest response to the situation on the Garvaghy Road". "The letter speaks for itself. It came about from conversations from those of us looking on from afar. "It was an organic process inspired by the courage of the residents."As concerned individuals, we are not seeking to build an organisation or alternative platform to the voices of the residents. We would only wish to amplify their voices."Others among the 48 signatories include Trainspotting writer Irvine Welsh, movie director Ken Loach, Graham 'Suggs' McPherson from Madness, Kneecap, Imelda May, Maxine Peake and trade unionist Mick Lynch.There have also been letters to Sir Chris from members of the Protestant community concerning Garvaghy Road, external, a group of MPs, external and Members of Congress in the US, external.There has been more than a week of deadlock in Portadown since the decision to allow an Orange Order march down the Garvaghy Road on Sunday, 27 September.That morning, up to 1,000 people - including politicians such as Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O'Neill - blocked the road, preventing Orangemen marching from Drumcree Church a mile to the west.Since then, residents have maintained a constant presence around the road while Orangemen have also repeatedly tried to march the route before being turned back by police.The stand-off has caused considerable political fallout in Northern Ireland, with First Minister O'Neill facing a vote of no confidence over her involvement in the protest.The vote is due to fail due to it requiring cross-community support at the Northern Ireland Assembly.Police are investigating the demonstrations in a "large-scale" criminal inquiry.Drumcree was one of Northern Ireland's most serious parading disputes, when stand-offs in the mid-to-late 1990s over attempts by the Orange Order to march along the Garvaghy Road were accompanied by riots, roadblocks and killings.When the Orange Order was prevented by police from walking down the route in July 1995, there was a tense stand-off. It was the same for the next three years.The Parades Commission began operating in 1998 to regulate parades and try to defuse tension around marches.Its decision not to allow a march down the Garvaghy Road that summer has been challenged by the order for the past three decades.Earlier this year the Parades Commission decided that the march could go ahead with restrictions in place after its original decision to stop the march was overturned in court.Meanwhile, the Court of Appeal is considering its ruling in a legal challenge brought by the residents to block the march going ahead.