The proposed demolition of Marks & Spencer’s flagship Oxford Street store has been put on hold as Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Michael Gove, who wants the plans scrutinised by ministers to decide the next steps.
image: Gary Rogers / Marks and Spencer Wikimedia Commons
… the environmental impact would be so great it would contravene the London Plan…
The BBC writes:
The retailer wants to replace the Art Deco building with a smaller shop with additional offices and a gym.
The mayor of London gave Westminster Council approval to go ahead, but now the department for levelling up, housing and communities has stepped in.
The plans will now be assessed by ministers before a final decision….
Due to the size of the proposed development, the plans had to be cleared by the Greater London Authority, as well as by the local authority…
A report published into the potential carbon footprint of bulldozing the building, at 458 Oxford Street, warned that the environmental impact would be so great it would contravene the London Plan – City Hall’s guidance for new developments and planning applications.
The report’s author Simon Sturgis called the plan ‘absolutely crazy’, believing a better idea would be to refit and renovate the existing shop.
For background see: Secret London and Save Britain
