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It has become one of the most controversial topics in the world of travel – the presence of giant cruise ships in Venice, and fears over the harm these liners may cause to the famous city.

And the battle lines have long been drawn.

For the cruise industry, the great Italian island citadel is one of the world's foremost destinations – a place that adds an elegance and a sense of history to any long voyage.

No more: Oscar winners Michael Douglas and Cate Blanchett are calling for a ban on cruise ships in Venice

Size versus substance: The presence of large cruise ships in Venice has become increasingly controversial

On the other side are those who think the liners are enormous, incongruous intruders into a place that was never designed to host such ocean goliaths.

Now, a powerful band of celebrities – including Hollywood icons, writers, fashion designers, A-list journalists, architects and royals - have thrown their weight behind an appeal to have the liners banished from Venice on a permanent basis.

Taking a firm stand: Film stars Sir Michael Caine and Diane Lane have added their names to the petition

Making their point: Other Hollywood stars, including Harvey Keitel and Susan Sarandon, have signed the letter

Leading figures from the world of cinema – including Oscar winners Cate Blanchett, Tilda Swinton and Michael Douglas – have added their signatures to a petition, addressed to the Italian prime minister and the Italian minister of culture and tourism, calling for an end to the sight of liners dwarfing buildings such as St Mark's Basilica.

Other big-screen figures are also on the list of endorsees, including Rob Lowe, Diane Lane, Sir Michael Caine, Edward Norton, Susan Sarandon and Isabella Rossellini.

Julie Christie, whose most iconic film – the 1973 supernatural thriller Don't Look Now – was set in Venice, is another of the cinema set to add her voice.

No big ships: Demonstrators have been increasingly vocal about the presence of cruise ships in Venice

Other luminaries include architect Sir Norman Foster, Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter and Princess Firyal of Jordan – plus an illustrious line-up of fashion designers including Diane von Furstenberg, Carolina Herrera, Hubert de Givenchy and Calvin Klein.

All these names appear on a plea sent to Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi and his culture minister Dario Franceschini.

Making a splash: Opponents of cruise ships in Venice protested in the Giudecca Canal last year

It reads:

'Dear Prime Minister, dear Minister,

Having prevailed against flood, pestilence, and war for more than thirteen centuries, Venice, the Queen of the Adriatic, and unparalleled UNESCO Word Heritage site, now, in a moment of relative tranquility, finds herself mortally threatened by the daily transit of gargantuan ocean liners, indifferent to the probable risk of catastrophe.

Since the flood of 1966, Italy and countless Italian and international supporters have contributed to the defense of the world's most fragile city, eternally subject to destruction.

The absolute lack of respect presented by the outlandish spectacle of the ongoing obstruction and potentially destruction, of one of humanity's pre-eminent monuments is not only dumbfounding but both morally and culturally unacceptable.

We urgently request an immediate and irrevocable halt to the traffic of the Big Ships in front of San Marco and along the Giudecca Canal putting an end to this senseless devastation.'

The letter is first signed by Umberto Marcello del Majno, who is described as the 'Chairman of the Association of the International Private Committees for the Safeguarding of Venice,' and 'co-manager of the Joint Programme with UNESCO'.

Not so ship-shape? When bigger liners approach Venice, the buildings of the medieval city seem dwarfed

Venice has already made moves to restrict the movements of cruise ships in its waters.

January brought a reduction of 20 per cent on the number of ships weighing more than 40,000 tonnes authorised to enter the Giudecca Canal (the waterway which separates the main core of Venice from the separate island of Giudecca, immediately to the south).

Sailing into the past: Will images such as this soon be consigned to yesteryear?

Further regulations which were due to come into force in November, have now been put back to January 2015.

These will see the biggest cruise ships – liners of over 96,000 tonnes – banned from sailing in the Giudecca Canal.

The proposals, announced late last year, were hailed as a triumph by the mayor of Venice, Giorgio Orsoni.

Calming the storm - for now: Restrictions on cruise ships in Venice were introduced earlier this year

'Finally, the trend towards gigantic ships has been turned around,' Mr Orsoni commented.

'We have had enough of these mega cruise ships just metres away from San Marco.

'From now on, there will be clear limits on the size of ships that can enter Venice.'