Resident in Dollis Hill are fighting plans for a supermarket giant to move into the area fearing it will lead to the demise of its independent shops.

Locals have drawn up a petition against a proposal by the Co-operative Food to open a 300sq ft store in Burnley Road, in the New Year.

The earmarked site is currently a car repair shop so supermarket bosses will have to apply for permission from Brent Council to carry out the conversion.

If the plans are given the green light residents fear shoppers will abandon the small parade of privately-owned businesses nearby including a green grocers, a newsagent and a café.

More than 1,000 people have signed the petition against the plans.

Anton Georgiou, a resident who is at the forefront of the campaign, told the Times he feared the creation of a supermarket could kill off the village feel of the area.

He added: “We have had an amazing response to our petition.

“Clearly no one from the area wants the supermarket to come and tear apart our community and destroy all our local shops.

“Shops which have been serving the community for decades.”

So far Co-operative Food have leafleted households in the area and held a public consultation to highlight their plans.

Johnny Gibbons, who has been running his greengrocers in nearby Hamilton Road for more than 40 years, fears the proposals will go through despite the campaign to halt it.

He said: “Obviously I’m against it as I’ve been in this game all my life. I can’t read the future but 35,000 greengrocers have shut down in the last 10 years.

“Some people say to me it’s already a done conclusion, it’s all over, it’s all happened because they’ve had two consolations, one with the public, one with shopkeepers, they’ve done leaflets, surveys everything

“We’ll have to wait and see but we’ve got a lot of people against it more than 1,000 signatures.”

A spokesman for the supermarket said: “The Co-operative Food is currently consulting with residents in Dudden Hill on a possible new food store, to provide high quality fresh produce at great value - as well as a free cash machine - at Dollis Hill Garage on Burnley Road.

“We continue to seek their views before submitting a planning application to Brent Council.”