I have been following the debates round the planned demolition of Marks and Spencer’s prime store in Oxford Street since it’s beginning and was a signatory to the letter in the Times on Saturday.  But nothing has convinced me more of how important it is as a case study than a thread on Twitter by SAVE which covers the range of different ways that department stores have been successfully renovated across the country, including – very notably – Whiteley’s which has been completely repurposed by Norman Foster.

Marks and Spencer used to be at the heart of the high street.  But the way they greeted getting planning permission was shameless and showed that their senior management was totally out of step with any environmental concerns.

At the weekend, I was told – I think correctly – that it is a test case for the new government.  Will they keep the existing building or will they be in thrall to the army of highly paid lobbyists who will argue that demolishing the building is necessary to the health of Oxford Street, an obviously specious argument when you look at the imaginative ways that existing department stores have been redeveloped.

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/article/2024/sep/01/debenhams-departments-stores-john-lewis-development-town-centres-high-street?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other