Historic England considers awarding protected status to former department stores

Britain’s disappearing department stores could be given protected status as part of a review by Historic England.

The announcement from the heritage body comes amid widespread closures brought on in part by the coronavirus pandemic, economic upheaval and the shift by customers to online shopping. 

According to campaigners, more than 50 per cent of department stores across the country have closed in the past seven years, leaving nearly two million square metres of retail space vacant and the original buildings under threat of demolition. 

A Historic England spokesman said the body is reviewing department stores around the country, following an increase in requests for some of them to get listed status. 

They said that whilst the review is at an ‘early stage’, it will help them to ‘understand the importance of surviving examples’.

Earlier this month, the Government agreed to Historic England’s recommendation to grant Grade II-listed status to the Brutalist former John Lewis and Cole…