The days of demolish and rebuild are “long gone” regardless of the outcome of controversial plans to redevelop Marks & Spencer’s flagship store, an industry expert has said.

Bam chief operating officer John Wilkinson said redevelopment projects which fully replace a building are a thing of the past “whether or not you support Michael Gove”.

Wilkinson and fellow panel members speaking today at the Building the Future Conference

Gove, the former communities secretary, blocked plans by the retailer to demolish and rebuild its Oxford Street store on carbon and heritage grounds. The decision was overturned by the High Court in March.

Speaking at the Building the Future Conference in Westminster this afternoon, Wilkinson said the industry was now on a path to sustainability but this would require changes in “customer expectations”.

>> See also: What does the High Court’s ruling mean for M&S’s Oxford Street plans? Lawyers give their views

“I think the days of ‘let’s just demolish and rebuild’ are long gone whether you support Michael Gove or not, and we will not get into politics around this position that he took with Marks and Spencer. 

“Fundamentally retaining the substructure and the superstructure is the right thing to do, because all the carbon is in the concrete and it’s all in the steel frame, so we’re going to have to change customer perceptions as well.”

Wilkinson was speaking on a panel at the conference called Investing for growth: What is the future of net zero in the built environment? The panel also included RLB chief executive Andy Reynolds, UK Green Building Council director of industry transformation Yetunde Abdul, Kier chief people officer Louisa Finlay and British Land development director Hannah Farahar.