In December last year, local residents jumped into action when Ocado planned to build a diesel depot next to a primary school. The site threatened to worsen the health of many local kids with no regards to already illegal levels of air pollution across London. The Nocado campaign presented a hundred pages of evidence to Islington Council and after months of review by legal experts, Islington Council have now formally revoked Ocado’s licence.
Air pollution in the UK has been linked to over 40,000 premature deaths. As well as the tragic loss of life, a recent report by the Royal College of Physicians and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health estimated that the cost of treating the debilitating long-term health conditions costs the UK economy around £20 billion a year.
Natasha Cox, Green Party and Nocado campaigner says: “I am absolutely delighted and relieved at this decision. Parents and residents helped expose that Ocado had given the council misleading and incomplete information when they gave permission and it is right that they are removing it. We’ve shown what a determined community can achieve, we will continue to fight to protect our children and community for as long as it takes.”
