The site on Roman Way Industrial Estate

COUNCILLORS have hit back at the “dirty” tactics used by big tech companies to exploit the planning system as food delivery giant Deliveroo’s new application for a permanent “dark kitchen” has sparked backlash from local residents.

They say they have been plagued by dangerous driving and noise pollution since the “dark kitchen” opened on the Roman Way Industrial Estate in 2017.

Marie Pierre, who lives close by, says drivers speeding around is “just waiting for an accident to happen”.

“Every day I fear that something is going to happen to my child,” she said. “We use the Overground daily to get to school, and there have been several near-misses with Deliveroo riders speeding out of Offord Street without looking. The situation has become so dangerous that my five-year-old is no longer allowed to use his scooter in the area. I don’t want to live in a neighbour­hood where children can’t play, laugh, or move freely without fear of being hit.”

Meanwhile, John Farndon, whose bedroom “is just a matter of metres from Deliveroo’s base”, said: “The extra noise and light at night would have a devastating effect on me and all those homes in Offord Road backing right onto the site.”

Caledonian ward councillor Paul Convery echoed residents’ concerns, saying streets were turned into the “wild west” by the evenings.

“There is a chaotic experience, particularly riders who are on the pavements, going through zebras, riding on one-way streets. These are grown men at high speed doing every single infraction of the highway code,” he added.

Council planning chiefs previously tried to block the kitchen when Deliv­eroo applied for retrospec­tive planning permission in 2021, having been issued an enforcement notice telling them to stop the operation.

A rider in Offord Road

But after Deliveroo took an appeal to the planning inspectorate, they were given a three-year trial period to run the operation and see how much disruption in caused in reality.

Cllr Convery said that the delivery company’s application where they apply for changes “a chunk at a time” was “a masterclass in exploiting the planning system”.

He said: “They’ve engaged in the normal practice of employing scores of lawyers and planning consultants. It’s a real bamboozle machine turned against us. This is what big tech does, it leverages all of their financial muscle to quite honestly bully a local authority.”

Planning chief Cllr Martin Klute told the Tribune: “They deliber­ate­ly make it as messy and compli­cated as pos­sible, because they are allowed to carry on operating until the appeal. They deliber­ately engineer conflict until that point. It’s a dirty business, but we have to try and play it by the rules.”

But Cllr Klute added that food deliveries were “just a fact of life”. “The genie is out of the bottle, so it’s about managing it,” he said. “To my mind, the fact that a lot of deliveries are now using electric bikes is a huge improve­ment because all of that noise goes away.”

He added: “It’s in the middle of an industrial estate. It’s not like some­one is trying to do it in their house. We obviously argue about the noise nuisance… but it is an industrial estate and if it wasn’t a dark kitchen, maybe you’d have plumb­ing deliveries at all hours.”

A spokesperson for Deliveroo said: “The Deliveroo Editions site in Islington can support up to 24 jobs in the area and has so far enabled a mix of independent, start-up and more established restaurants to grow their businesses and reach local customers.

“We always strive to contribute positively to the communities in which we operate and we’ve continued to invest in ways to reduce noise and boost the sustainability of the site. We are fully committed to continuing the open dialogue with Islington Council and local residents, and are happy to discuss any concerns.”