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Developers risk losing occupiers if they do not try harder to reuse and refurbish existing buildings, the public inquiry into the controversial redevelopment plans for Marks & Spencer鈥檚 flagship store has been told.

Tyler Goodwin, chief executive of London-based investor and developer Seaforth, said clients 鈥渘eed to take the high road now鈥� if they are to retain the trust and support of their customers.

M&S is in the second week of hearings at the inquiry into its Pilbrow & Partners-designed proposals to knock down its 1920s Art Deco store on Oxford Street. The plans were called in by communities secretary Michael Gove in June.

The retailer is facing opposition from campaign group Save Britain鈥檚 Heritage, which was granted main party status after leading a campaign against the redevelopment which won the backing of a string of high-profile names across the built environment and beyond. Save is looking to raise 拢20,000 in donations to cover its legal costs.

The scheme has stoked controversy due to the amount of embodied carbon its detractors say that demolition will produce compared to a refurbishment, and the loss of the original unlisted building, known as Orchard House.

The outcome of the planning inspector鈥檚 report, expected in January, is likely to be highly influential for the future of major demolish-and-rebuild projects and the treatment of heritage buildings.

鈥淕lobal warming is already an urgent issue,鈥� Goodwin said. 鈥淥ur industry must do more now to reduce our whole-life carbon in developments. 

鈥淭hat doesn鈥檛 mean stopping development, but it does mean trying harder first to retain, reuse and adapt what we have.鈥�

Seaforth is currently developing more than 500,000 sq ft of office space in central London, all of which are refurbishments of existing buildings. These include Space House, a grade II-listed brutalist building designed by Richard Seifert and George Marsh in 1968.

Goodwin said the firm鈥檚 customers have 鈥漚lready made the connection between their commitments to achieving net zero and their leasing decisions鈥�.

Celebrating elements of a historic building 鈥渢ells a powerful story and is a constant reminder to your customers and their customers that they are in a building that helped make a difference鈥�, he added. He also warned that today鈥檚 younger generations are 鈥渢omorrow鈥檚 customers 鈥� and they are fed up with our kicking the can down the road鈥�.

> Also read: Save slams Marks & Spencer鈥檚 鈥渢hreat鈥� to leave flagship store if demolition plans are blocked

Several big-name retailers have rallied around M&S in support of the redevelopment. Ikea, which is preparing to move into the former flagship Topshop store on Oxford Circus, has backed the plans. The furniture seller鈥檚 UK country retail manager and chief sustainability officer Peter Jelkeby told the inquiry that the firm was 鈥渄elighted to see the proposals鈥�.

He added: 鈥淭he high street, and particularly a street of such international economic importance as Oxford Street, needs this type of investment and regeneration to continue attracting customers and visitors, as well as providing confidence in the UK鈥檚 high streets and inspiration to other retailers.鈥� 

Selfridges has also thrown its support behind the scheme, which it said would 鈥渉elp deliver the step change in the quality of place that is needed on Oxford Street鈥�.

The western end of the street, where the M&S store is located, has been said by the scheme鈥檚 supporters to have seen a marked downturn in recent years following several high-profile departures including Debenhams and House of Fraser.

M&S has said that a refurbishment of the building is unviable and has warned it will also be forced to leave if the redevelopment is blocked, a move which Save Britain鈥檚 Heritage has said would not be the 鈥渁ttitude of a retailer dedicated to sustainability鈥�.

The company鈥檚 lawyer, Russell Harris KC, described the shopping strip last week as a 鈥渇ailing centre鈥� which had the unmistakable 鈥渟mell鈥� of decline. He warned this would 鈥渁ccelerate dramatically鈥� if the retailer left the site.

But Scott Lindsay, architect at Simpson and Brown, told the inquiry that he believed there was 鈥渘o apparent case鈥� for demolition and the building could and should have a sustainable future.

> Also read: Can we make demolition greener?

Last year the practice carried out a retrofit of a strikingly similar Art Deco building in Edinburgh for client Diageo which won a number of sustainability awards.

Conservation architect Christine Humphreys told Tuesday鈥檚 hearing that retailers could design shops within 鈥渁ll kinds of constraints鈥� and suggested that M&S was not making the best use of the existing building.

鈥淎gents and clients claim that certain kinds of existing spaces are no longer 鈥榲iable鈥� for offices and shops,鈥� Humphreys said.  

鈥淲here does this judgment come from?  Are tenants really lining-up to rent column-free space in a post-covid world? Are people demanding to work in open-plan offices without opening windows?

鈥淭he nooks, crannies and columns that come with existing buildings can make for more interesting designs and spaces.  

鈥淗owever, the truth is that nooks, crannies and columns take up lots of area when measured over many floors of a big building. And more area equals more money, period. It is all about profit.鈥�

Last week, actor and Victorian Society president Griff Rhys Jones told the inquiry that M&S were 鈥渘ot using the space in a very imaginative way compared with the possibilities that an old building offers鈥�.

He said Orchard House could be a 鈥渂rand and a badge and an exemplar of the spirit of recycling for M&S鈥�, adding that it was 鈥渄isappointingly short-sighted that they have dismissed this opportunity out of hand鈥�.

Gove will ultimately determine whether the plans can proceed, based on the advice of the planning inspector who presides over the public inquiry.