Children outside the High Court protest against Ocado’s plans to open a distribution centre next to their primary school

CAMPAIGNERS fighting to stop a shopping giant opening a 24/7 “darkstore” just metres from a primary school have launched a new fundraising campaign as they prepare for – what they hope will be – their final day in court.

The NOcado group, which includes residents and Yerbury Primary School parents, say they need £40,000 to hire a lawyer to fight Ocado at a public inquiry due to be held in June.

Andy Grieve, one of the founders of the NOcado group, said: “At its closest point this depot is two metres from the school classrooms. This would be a disaster for kids’ health and education.

“Ocado are trying to use a short circuit in the planning system called a Lawful Development Certificate which means they don’t have to do any noise, traffic or pollution assessment for this depot and could operate the site 24/7 with absolutely no restrictions at all – none.”

The plans have been rejected by Islington Council three times, and additionally by the High Court and the Court of Appeal. The Planning Inspectorate, a government-led body, is their final port of call.

The public inquiry will be held on June 25 and is scheduled to last three days.

Fenella Grey of NOcado called their fight “precedent-setting” as it’s the first of its kind, and described Ocado’s behaviour as “corporate bullying”. She said because the business has deep pockets it planned to just keep going until the community ran out of money or spirit – but ­didn’t factor in the community’s capacity to take on the David and Goliath challenge.

“If they think we’re exhausted, if they think we’re giving up, if they think we’ve lost our fight and mojo, it couldn’t be further from the truth,” Ms Grey warned.

She and other parents set up the Lorax Initiative, a non-profit body that lobbies the government around the danger of darkstore sites – online shopping warehouses – opening up in community spaces with few protective regulations.

Meanwhile, in another corner of Islington, residents of the Berthold Lubetkin-designed Bevin Court are preparing for a similar fight after learning the online distribution business Go Puff, known for its delivery bikes, applied for an alcohol licence at a site just metres from their homes.

An Ocado spokesperson said: “Ocado is committed to having a positive impact on the local community.

“This would be the greenest and quietest grocery facility in the UK, and we have committed to using a 100 per cent electric delivery van fleet – replacing the vans that currently deliver in the area – and install a green ‘living wall’ along the boundary. It would also create around 300 new jobs for the local economy.”

• For information on the campaign, visit: www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/stop-ocado-bullying-our-community#start