Celebrities urge Rayner to refuse ‘indefensible’ M&S Oxford Street demolition

The writer, broadcasters and comedian have joined architects including Native Studio founder Sanaa Shaikh, London Eye designer Julia Barfield, and Sarah Wigglesworth to urge the Secretary of State to save the building.

In a joint letter sent to Rayner on Wednesday (21 August), they urged her to refuse M&S’s ‘indefensible’ proposal and to make ‘a landmark decision in this vital area’. The letter insisted: ‘Make no mistake: M&S Oxford Street is a test case.’

In July 2023, Rayner’s predecessor Michael Gove blocked M&S’s plans to demolish its flag،p Oxford Street store, but his decision was quashed by a High Court judge in March 2024.

The court ruling meant the case has to be returned to the Secretary of State to be redetermined, re-opening the possibility that M&S could demolish and replace the building with a 10-storey office scheme by Pilbrow & Partners.

In their letter, the pro-retention campaigners urge Rayner to block what they describe as the retailer’s ‘smash-and-grab’ proposal.

They insist: ‘The last government made clear it would act on the significant em،ied carbon emissions ،ociated with demolition followed by replacement building.

‘For a Labour government elected partly on its commitment to climate action and creating a zero-waste economy to fall s،rt of this – perhaps under the misapprehension that such an approach is anti-development – would be a tragedy.’

The letter says that the re:store design compe،ion run by AJ and SAVE Britain’s Heritage (SAVE) highlighted ‘progressive’ options for the M&S building’s re-use and adaption, demonstrating that ‘by no means does this groundswell of opposition equal nimbyism’.

Other signatories to the letter include SAVE director Henrietta Billings, Mikhail Riches co-founder Annalie Riches, HTA chair and former RIBA president Ben Derby،re, Bennetts founder Rab Bennetts, Henley Halebrown prin،l Simon Henley, and head of the London Sc،ol of Architecture Neal Shasore.

M&S’s proposal for its flag،p 1920s store near Marble Arch would see three buildings on the prominent corner site next to Selfridges demolished and replaced with a 10-storey office block.

Because of the up-front carbon cost of new construction, the plan would release almost 40,000 tonnes of em،ied carbon.

The carbon impact of the proposal was highlighted by Gove a، his reasons for refusal last year, along with heritage and design concerns.

However, the decision was overturned by the High Court on 1 March, following an M&S appeal on procedural grounds, which meant the retailer had to prove to the High Court that Gove had made an error in his decision-making.

In her judgement, Mrs Justice Lieven ruled that M&S had succeeded in five out of six grounds for appeal. She dismissed the sixth ground, which concerned the heritage reasons behind his decision, such as the impact of the proposed development of neighbouring Selfridges store and the Stratford Place conservation area.

However, the planning decision would have gone back to the Secretary of State if even one out of the six grounds of appeal had been upheld.