M&S says Oxford Street will ‘decline rapidly’ if plan to rebuild historic flagship is blocked

By Tom Lowe2022-10-25T16:57:00

Retailer tells public inquiry it will leave 1920s store if proposal to demolish and replace it with office block is not approved

The decline of London’s Oxford Street would “accelerate dramatically” if Marks and Spencer is not allowed to press on with its controversial plans to demolish its flagship store, the retailer’s lawyer told a public inquiry this morning.

Russell Harris KC described the western end of the street, where M&S’ 1920s store is located, as a “failing” neighbourhood which already had an unmistakable “smell” of decline.

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