“Oxford Street is a slum. Where is the civilization, the sculptures, the trees?

Experienced developer Sir Stuart Lipton says people don't want to go back to legacy offices. Photo: Jeff Pugh for The Telegraph

Home workers don't want to go back to the office because they don't want to work in farm offices that are «obsolete,» said one of the city's most prominent developers.

Sir Stuart Lipton, who developed the Broadgate Circle in the City of London, said low-quality offices are to blame for workers not wanting to return to full-time work.

Noble City also opposed the government's goal of zero net income. for buildings and denounced the condition of Oxford Street, saying parts of the famous shopping boulevard had become «slums.»

Sir Stewart told The Telegraph: «You'll find people in offices sitting four feet from their colleagues. . That's how you find animals — in little pens. I call it industrial farming.

“Animals, in our general opinion, should be free-range. But we don't think of people as free range.»

The 80-year-old real estate mogul has overseen some of the largest office projects in the UK, including the second-tallest building in London at 22 Bishopsgate and the 32-acre Broadgate Circle estate, which was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1991.

“When I was a kid, you had at least six-foot tables and there was a lot more space. Now much less. People are talking about carbon, ecology, well-being and lifestyle, and we are sitting in small pockets.»

Sir Stewart supervised the construction the estate of Broadgate Circle. Photo: Heathcliff O'Malley

His comments come as major employers are still trying to force employees to return to the office full-time after years of working from home during the pandemic. Wall Street bank JP Morgan last week threatened to punish employees who continue to refuse to come to work.

A recent LinkedIn poll found that more than a third of workers across the UK said they would quit their job if their employer asked . that they are returning to the office full time.

Sir Stewart blamed the unattractiveness of many British offices on the fight to bring workers back.

“In my book, we are an outdated industry building outdated buildings with outdated technology, and we know things have to change,” he said. “People can talk to their cars and phones, why not to their buildings?”

Sir Stewart has been a building builder in London since the 1970s and has been responsible for over 20m² of development in the capital.

He co-founded Stanhope, where he worked on the Broadgate project and the 1.8 m2 Chiswick Park campus. Google has offices.

He chaired the government's commission on architecture and the built environment from 1999 to 2004.

Many developers are now retrofitting property to comply with government zero-clean regulations that force offices to meet minimum environmental standards. Buildings must have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) of at least C by 2030 to be rented out to businesses.

0104 Unlettable London

One of Sir Stewart's latest developments, Bishopsgate 22, a 62-story tower in London, has an EPC A rating.

“Everything is computer controlled and I know it saves a huge amount of energy,” he said. . «If your building doesn't have this, then your building is obsolete.»

However, Sir Stewart said the EPC rules were quirky and suggested that developers might be reluctant to invest in necessary upgrades given the government's track record in changing policy.

“EPC has become like owning the latest part of a mod. If it wasn't for the latest fashion, you wouldn't buy it and the seller would die.

“On the one hand, the government says we should cut carbon emissions, but on the other hand, it's nothing does. The question is, will they drop the EPC? Because they refuse everything else.”

The veteran developer added that the targets would also force historic buildings to be demolished, given that in some cases it is uneconomical to bring properties up to modern standards.

He said: “We will see a lot of buildings collapsing. The change in EPC will create a need for new buildings. Most of the existing offices will leave you with only the skeleton of the building.»

M&S wants to tear down their Marble Arch store and upgrade it. Photo: Pilbrow and Partners

Attempts to demolish and rebuild rather than refurbish have been controversial.

Marks & Spencer is embroiled in a feud with Michael Gove over the retailer's plans to demolish its Oxford Street store and replace it with a greener, modern building.

Mr Gove revealed the plans over fears that 90 -e can be destroyed. -year-old building would have damaged the historical character of the area. Environmentalists also argue that the demolition will increase emissions by releasing so-called «embodied carbon».

Sir Stewart supported M&S in planning. He said, “Which would you prefer? A successful High Street with great architecture, or the preservation of old buildings that have nothing to do with street renewal?

“East Oxford Street is like a slum. Where is the civilization, the sculptures, the trees? Where do boys meet girls? This is a terrible street that has the ability to add a dazzling piece of architecture to help it.

«The government only gets in the way.»

Oxford Street looks 'terrible' now, says Sir Stewart. Photo: Mike Kemp/In Pictures via Getty Images

Sir Stewart said government involvement in development is often futile, arguing that the government is «too conservative» in its approach to building.

«HS2 is a microcosm of everything else that happens — this is the fifth redesign. Why did the government need to intervene? They had to just tell the developers what they wanted and go.

He criticized the planning system in general, saying that the current regulations encourage the development of «identikit».

«In the built environment, we build the same buildings in the same cities,» he said. «But the system encourages it.

«If you know you will be given consent to build a building a certain way, why would you do it any other way?»

He added. : “We are a great country. But we lack imagination.”

His criticism of the government's planning policy adds to the backlash against Michael Gove from the construction industry. Mr. Gove was criticized last year for calling property developers a «cartel,» and his crackdown on homeowners last week also sparked outrage.

Simon Clark, Mr. Gove's predecessor as secretary of state on upgrading, housing and the Community called the crackdown on landlords «anti-business» in an interview with the Times last week.

A spokesman for the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero said: «The government is committed to providing a clean, safe and independent energy system for the long term. In this Parliament, we have committed more than £6.6bn to energy efficiency improvements, with another £6bn up to 2028.” A community spokesman said: «We aim to deliver 300,000 new homes a year and are investing £11.5bn to build the affordable and quality homes this country needs.»