M&S flagship store redevelopment finally approved

Marks & Spencer submitted a planning application for the redevelopment for the store at 456-472 Oxford Street back in March 2021, and has now secured approval ending a three-year battle over the art deco building.

The building, named Orchard House, was constructed in the late 1920s and opened in 1930.

In June 2022, following the planning submission for the store’s redevelopment, previous secretary of state Michael Gove ordered the application be referred to him instead of being dealt with by the local planning authority.

Then, in July the following year, Gove refused the plans following pressure from campaigners concerned with the environmental impact of the scheme.

Campaigners claimed the project would release 40,000 tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere throughout the building process.

In the letter refusing the application, Gove argued: “the proposal would in part fail to support the transition to a low carbon future, and would overall fail to encourage the reuse of existing resources, including the conversion of existing buildings.”

However, in March this year the high court ruled the secretary of state’s planning decision to block the redevelopment of the store was deemed unlawful, with Gove now having the “power to unlock the wide-ranging benefits of this significant investment”.

Now with Labour at the helm, after their landslide election victory in July, it fell to Rayner to make the decision on the redevelopment.

Rayner approved the application on the basis that, as argued by the original inspector, that “there would be no direct effect on designated heritage assets”.

The approval letter also claims “that there is a compelling justification for demolition and rebuilding” over refurbishment, which was deemed “deeply problematic” as it was suggested that retrofitting may involve more embodied carbon than the new build option, among other sustainability concerns.   

The retailer has now been given the green light to demolish the three existing buildings on site and  for the construction of a two-basement, ground, plus nine-storey mixed use development.

In accordance with the original application, the new building will feature:

• Retail
• Café/restaurant
• Office and gym 
• New pedestrian arcade
• Public realm works and associated works

M&S claims the new building will be amongst the top one per cent of new buildings in London on sustainable performance, with:

• Less than a quarter of the energy of today’s structure
• 95 per cent of the existing building materials recovered, recycled or reused 
• Water consumption halved
• design life of 120 years 
• Carbon payback within 11 years of construction

M&S CEO, Stuart Machin said: “I am delighted that, after three unnecessary years of delays, obfuscation and political posturing at its worst, under the previous Government, our plans for Marble Arch – the only retail-led regeneration proposal on Oxford Street – have finally been approved. 

“We can now get on with the job of helping to rejuvenate the UK’s premier shopping street through a flagship M&S store and office space, which will support 2,000 jobs and act as a global standard-bearer for sustainability.

 “We share the Government’s ambition to breathe life back into our cities and towns and are pleased to see they are serious about getting Britain building and growing. We will now move as fast as we can.”

Charles Begley, London Property Alliance chief executive said: “I hope with this decision we can finally end the uncertainty which has acted as a drag on investment, damaging growth and the jobs that go with it.

“It is disappointing it has taken so long, which sends a negative message to those willing to invest in London and beyond. 

“The Government now needs to ensure that planning reform supports sustainable redevelopment, and whilst giving stronger guidance to local councils, needs to set itself strict timelines to deal with contentious decisions once it intervenes to prevent a repeat of this long running saga.

“The fact that the property industry has been waiting for the outcome of this case for clarity is clearly a failure of national policy. 

“The application itself has unfortunately become a lightning rod for the ‘retrofit v redevelopment’ debate, but we need to recognise that a more nuanced approach is needed and policy must allow and support a range of interventions on a case-by-case basis.”

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