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Marks and Spencer is to demolish its Art Deco flagship store on London’s Oxford Street after it received the go-ahead from the UK’s Housing Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner.
The retailer said it had secured hard approval more than three years after the first application was submitted to redevelop the Marble Arch store.
M&S Chief executive Stuart Machin said on Thursday he was delighted with the results after “years of unnecessary delays, confusion and political posturing at its worst under the previous government”.
Rainer’s decision to reverse her Conservative predecessor Michael Gove’s stance on one of Britain’s most high-profile planning disputes is a signal that she plans to use her powers to remove barriers to planning and promote development.
Claire Fellows, planning partner at law firm Charles Russell Speechlys, said: “The decision has always been more about political messaging. . . The green light from Reiner is a strong political move.”
This is a developing story
