M&S’s plan is to demolish the store

CELEBRITIES including author Bill Bryson and Grand Designs host Kevin McCloud have backed an open letter calling on deputy prime minister and communities secretary Angela Rayner to “save” Marks and Spencer flagship Oxford Street store.

The retailer’s plans to demolish the 1920s building by Marble Arch to build a new shop were backed by both Westminster City Council and the Greater London Authority, before being refused by the former Conservative secretary of state Michael Gove.

Gove’s decision was overturned following a High Court challenge earlier this year, and now a final decision rests with Rayner.

In an open letter organised by SAVE Britain’s Heritage and the Architects’ Journal, a host of campaigners, historians and other interested parties have called on Rayner to refuse the submission, citing concerns about its sustainability, commercial sense, and its impact on local heritage.

“Attitudes across the built environment industry are moving rapidly in favour of prioritising retrofit for climate, resource and heritage benefits,” the letter reads.

“Allowing M&S to proceed with its wasteful and polluting plan is now seen as indefensible.

Angela Rayner [UK PARLT (CC-by-3.0) detail]

“We urge you to take this opportunity to refuse M&S’s proposal and create a landmark decision in this vital area.

“Far from being anti-development, such a decision would be good for the development industry, good for innovation, good for heritage, and good for the climate.”

Under the M&S’s plan the current building would be knocked down and replaced with a nine-storey block including a gym, café, office and retail space.

Other famous names to lend the letter their weight include Griff Rhys Jones, who is president of the Victorian Society and of Civic Voice as well as an actor and presenter, and George Clarke, an architect and broadcaster known for his work on programmes such as The Home Show.

Following the High Court’s decision, Sacha Berendji, M&S operations director, said the scheme would deliver “one of London’s greenest buildings, create thousands of new jobs and rejuvenate the capital’s premier shopping district”.

He added: “The secretary of state now has the power to unlock the wide-ranging benefits of this significant investment and send a clear message to UK and global business that the government supports sustainable growth and the regeneration of our towns and cities.”

The ministry of housing, communities and local government told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that due to the application falling to Rayner for redetermination, it would not be appropriate to comment at this stage.