M&S launches legal challenge after Gove blocks Oxford Street store revamp
Marks and Spencer has launched a legal challenge against the government’s decision to reject the supermarket’s plan to revamp its Marble Arch store.
The high street stalwart has accused Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Michael Gove, of unfairly applying planning policy to block the redesign of its flagship store.
“We have done this because we believe the Secretary of State wrongly interpreted and applied planning policy, to justify his rejection of our scheme on grounds of heritage and environmental concerns,” Sacha Berendji, operations director at M&S, said today.
“It is hugely disappointing that after two years of support and approvals at every stage, we have been forced to take legal action to overcome a misguided agenda against our scheme, and we will be challenging this to the fullest extent possible,” she added.
M&S had previously received a green light from Westminster City Council to tear down its Marble Arch store and replace it with a shop featuring a cafe, offices and a gym.
However, the move received pushback from campaigners, prompting Gove to launch an inquiry.
Gove said the public benefits did not outweigh the damage that would be done to landmarks on the street, including luxury department store Selfridges. M&S’s failure to use existing buildings was also cited as a reason for the rejection.
At the time, M&S chief Stuart Machin described the decision as “utterly pathetic,” and said the refusal left the retailer with “no choice but to review its future position on Oxford Street”.
CityAM has contacted the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities for comment.