As the trusted purveyor of pants and socks to the nation since 1884, Marks & Spencer makes for an unlikely villain in one of the most high-profile planning battles of the century. But, since the venerable retailer announced plans to flatten its 1920s art deco flagship store on Oxford Street in London and replace it with a 10-storey mixed-use behemoth, it has been accused of trampling on the very soul of the country’s most famous shopping street, as well as gleefully cheering on the destruction of the planet.
“Don’t ask the price, it’s a penny,” was the slogan of the shop’s founder, Michael Marks, when he opened his homewares stall in Leeds in 1884. “Don’t ask the price, it’s only 40,000 tonnes of carbon,” might be the modern-day equivalent, given its redevelopment plans – which campaigners say would see about that much CO2 released into the atmosphere if built. The retailer has said, however, that its planned development would use 25% less energy than the existing site, with a maximum carbon payback of 17 years.
