M&S launches legal challenge against government rejection of Marble Arch store overhaul

In an announcement, the retailer said it believes that Michael Gove, the secretary of state for levelling up, housing and communities, “wrongly interpreted and applied planning policy” to justify the rejection.

The announcement comes after Gove rejected the store overhaul proposal, claiming that the public benefits of M&S’ plans were outweighed by the potential harm to the heritage of the area and sustainability concerns.

At the time, M&S chief executive Stuart Machin described the situation as “pathetic” and reflecting “the whim of one man”, adding that “we cannot let Oxford Street be the victim of politics and a wilful disregard of the facts”.

On the retailer’s subsequent challenge, Sacha Berendji, operations director at M&S, said: “Today we have launched a legal challenge against the government’s decision to reject our Marble Arch store proposal.

“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.

“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.”