Pupils, parents, teachers and councillors protested about Ocado’s plans to open a distribution hub near Yerbury Primary School

THE leader of Islington council has branded an online supermarket’s plan to build a distribution site as “completely ina­pprop­riate”.

As the Tribune reported before Christmas, Ocado has come under fire over its plans for the distribu­tion centre yards from Yerbury Primary School on the Bush Industrial Estate in Upper Holloway.

Parents and teachers at the school previously spoke out against the plans, which would see a diesel tank and three fuel pumps installed on-site.

The main concerns raised have been around the amount of diesel HGVs passing near the school.

Islington Council leader Richard Watts said that the food delivery company would be “well-advised” to reconsider and come up with plan that was more agreeable to the community.

Islington Council leader Richard Watts

“Ocado has put in a planning application and that will be determined by the council planners in line with our planning procedures,” he said.

“However, it is astonishing that Ocado would seek to put a warehouse a few metres away from a school with new petrol pumps and a massive increase in heavy goods vehicles, emissions, extra pollution and damage to air quality.”

Cllr Watts added: “All the planning elements will get looked at with due process. From a child safety point of view and a pollution point of view, this is a completely inappropriate site for this proposed depot.”

A spokesman for Ocado said: “We are aware of the concerns expressed by Richard Watts, leader of Islington Council, regarding the planning application we made in August for a new micro-fulfilment centre nearby to Yerbury Primary School in Tufnell Park.”­

He added: “We are very sorry for the anxiety that the application process has caused and are addressing these concerns directly with the school and other stakeholders”.