This M&S Marble Arch saga is now an unholy farce

IT IS 1,042 days since Marks & Spencer first submitted its plans to Westminster council for the demolition of its famous Oxford Street flagship store near Marble Arch and replace it with a nine-storey complex including a new shop, offices and a pedestrian arcade. When the proposal went in on July 2, 2021, Boris Johnson had a year left to enjoy residing at 10 Downing Street.

- Jonathan Prynn

Yet weeks away from the third anniversary of the application, M&S is no closer to knowing whether it can send in the bulldozers. In the meantime, the scheme has become a huge planning cause célèbre at the heart of the debate over whether ageing buildings should be retrofitted rather than demolished to reduce carbon emissions.

M&S has always argued that its new development will, in fact, result in far fewer emissions over its 120-year lifespan than the deeply inefficient cluster of life-expired buildings, including art deco Orchard House, that currently accommodate the store.

The plan has been given the green light by the local authority, the Mayor (twice) and a planning inspector, who conducted a lengthy tour of the site.