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

• IN response to the report (Ocado fight on in depot row, October 22), I would like to espouse an alternative viewpoint which, I think, deserves to be heard among the negative noise emanating from the campaign group NOcado.

NOcado attempt to castigate the internet-based food distribution company, Ocado, as a greedy, money-grabbing organisation, trying to force through their plans to locate their warehouse and distribution facility on the Bush Industrial Estate, at the expense of schoolchildren’s health and wellbeing.

This simplistic portrayal obscures the wider picture which is that a well-established and profitable company wants to invest in the area by occupying and developing an existing vacant facility, on a dedicated industrial estate, that has been unoccupied for over four years and underused for longer.

The proposal would generate up to 250 new jobs, which would make Ocado Ltd one of the largest employers in our area with a knock-on effect of significantly boosting our economy.

Ocado are proposing to build a “green wall” between the site and school as well as using electric vehicles to distribute their goods in an attempt to mitigate some of the negative consequences in terms of noise and pollution.

My question is how representative is NOcado’s opposition to Ocado’s plans in relation to the wider local community?

I started a discussion thread on Nextdoor (an internet forum) some nine months ago and was heartened to see that of the 120-plus contributors to the discussion well over half were in favour of Ocado’s proposals.

Rather than try to block Ocado’s proposals, out of hand, a more sensible and grown-up approach would be for Islington Council to work with Ocado to work out ways to reduce the worst effects of the hub on the school and area.

For example: arranging delivery times when the school is not open; pedestrian crossing at the junction of Station Road and Junction Road; upgrading school windows that front the site (at Ocado’s expense); and making sure the proposed green wall is of adequate scale and height.

A spirit of constructive discussion and co-operation needs to prevail rather than the confrontation that presently exists.

This is too important an opportunity for our wider community to leave to the legal wranglings and bickerings of overpaid lawyers and bureaucrats.

If NOcado and Islington continue with their current approach the decision over the hub will inevitably finally land on the secretary of state’s desk and no guesses as to which way that decision will go.

NAME AND ADDRESS SUPPLIED, N19