Oxford Street – the busiest shopping street in Europe, in a nation once known as an island of shopkeepers – has had at its heart two fine Art Deco monuments to British mercantilism: Selfridges and Marks & Spencer. But in December, the deputy prime minister Angela Rayner granted permission for M&S to demolish and redevelop its flagship London store and replace it with a drab slab of modernism.
For devotees of Art Deco architecture and anyone who cares about beautiful buildings, this is an act of philistinism. But there may still be a glimmer of hope for Oxford Street. London’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, has opened a consultation (ending on 2 May) on the future of Oxford Street. Could this mark a turning point, a chance to reimagine this great thoroughfare for the 21st century?
Khan says that he wants to turbo-charge the regeneration of Oxford Street and create a ‘beautiful space where people can shop, eat and connect.’ Perhaps
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