A proposal to reorder the interior of St Colman's Cathedral in Cobh, Co Cork - to bring it into line with liturgical requirements - will destroy "the glorious symmetry" created by its architect Pugin, according to Friends of St Colman's Cathedral (FOSCC).

FOSCC was among a number of appellants to An Bord Pleanála against the proposal by the Trustees of the cathedral - the others were An Taisce, The Irish Georgian Society and the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government.

The proposal is to remove and relocate the altar rails and extend the sanctuary area to the nave, which would involve disturbing the mosaic sanctuary floor designed by architect George Ashlin and made by Ludwig Oppenheimer of Manchester in 1892. The trustees are looking to create a permanent altar on an extended sanctuary.

FOSCC says it has collected over 24,000 signatures from people in the dioceses and says the alterations would "destroy, deface and distort" the internationally renowned cathedral. "The liturgy can be celebrated adequately in Cobh Cathedral as it is," says the appeal.

"The Gothic grandeur of the interior, the transcendent beauty and graceful proportions will be utterly lost if the proposed changes are allowed."

An Taisce says the 19th century St Colman's, one of the most important Victorian buildings in Ireland, took nearly 50 years to build in a neo-Gothic style. It believes the proposal would cause " irreversible and unacceptable" changes to the fabric of the building. It says the historical justification put forward for the reordering is an early architect's projections of the cathedral which shows no altar rails.

An Taisce contends the architects of St Colman's set out to produce a Victorian building, not a medieval one, contrary to claims made in the proposal.

The Irish Georgian Society calls for debate over whether the alterations are necessary under the provision of the Second Vatican Council. "A compelling need to meet liturgical requirements must be established," says the appeal.