M&S Oxford Street refurbishment gets approval as boss blasts three-year delay

Marks & Spencer has been given the green light to demolish its flagship Oxford Street store, ending a fierce three-year planning battle over the art deco building.

Housing Secretary Angela Rayner ruled on Thursday that the plans can go ahead.

The retail giant wants to rebuild the store into a nine-storey building housing a retail space, a cafe, a gym and an office.

Stuart Machin, the group’s chief executive, wrote on X on Thursday: “I am delighted that, after three unnecessary years of delays, obfuscation and political posturing at its worst under the previous government, our plans for Marble Arch – the only retail-led regeneration proposal on Oxford Street – have finally been approved.”