Campaign calls for government to reject M&S Marble Arch plans
Campaign group SAVE Britain’s Heritage has called on communities secretary Angela Rayner to reject Marks & Spencer’s proposal to demolish its flagship 1920s store near Marble Arch.
The group – in collaboration with Architects’ Journal – has penned an open letter urging the secretary of state to send a message that Britain’s “disposable attitude to buildings is over”.
The letter is backed by a number of architects, developers, historians, and sustainable building experts, including writer Bill Bryson, broadcasters George Clarke and Kevin McCloud, and London Eye designer Julia Barfield.
Earlier this year, M&S won a legal challenge against the former secretary of state Michael Gove after he rejected the retailer’s proposals to tear down its Oxford Street flagship store.
The case is now back on his successor’s desk for redetermination, with Rayner expected to make a decision imminently.
SAVE Britain’s Heritage’s letter cites a number of key issues regarding the proposed demolition. These include sustainability, with the group stating that the amount of CO2 released into the atmosphere as a result of the work would be incompatible with the UK’s emission reduction and net zero targets.
The site’s heritage was also listed as a reason to save the building, with the group stating that the loss of the 1920s building would rob Oxford Street of one of its 20th-century department store buildings and damage the setting of its listed neighbour Selfridges.
SAVE Britain’s Heritage also said the building could be re-used and adapted. In May, the group – along with Architects’ Journal – hosted a design ideas competition exploring how the site and other distressed department stores could be developed differently.
The letter partly reads: “The future of Marks & Spencer’s flagship 1929 store at Marble Arch remains centre stage in an ongoing national debate about sustainability and the future of our high streets.
“The grounds for refusing the scheme have only grown in the three years since M&S made its planning submission, and there is now an unanswerable case for the new government to act in accelerating the industry’s shift towards reusing, repurposing and extending buildings instead of demolishing and wasting them. Make no mistake: M&S Oxford Street is a test case.”
Westminster City Council had originally approved proposals for M&S to knock down the historic store to make way for a new shop, a café, a gym, and offices. However Michael Gove delayed the ruling after facing pressure from campaigners.
Gove then rejected the proposals in June last year on the grounds that the public benefits would not outweigh the harm to local landmarks, a decision that was branded “utterly pathetic” by M&S chief executive Stuart Machin. M&S then launched a legal challenge against the decision a year ago.
The retailer had previously argued that because the building is not listed nor is it in a heritage area, there was no reason the plans should be rejected on heritage grounds.
M&S has also said that a conversion of the existing building presented serious challenges, with asbestos on the site making any refurbishment a health risk to workers. It also said many parts of the building including its staff area need updating.
The retailer had threatened to shut down the flagship store in November 2022 if its rebuilding plans were refused.