At the heart of the concrete and brick labyrinth of Milton Keynes, hard by Midsummer Boulevard, a certified national treasure has been identified. To the disgust of its owners and the bewilderment of many customers, the town's 1970s shopping centre is now a Grade II listed building.
The letter from the heritage minister John Penrose to the owners, who have fought hard against the honour being inflicted on them, says: "The secretary of state [Jeremy Hunt] is persuaded by the advice from English Heritage and others that the MK building possesses high-quality finishes and materials throughout (which is unusual for this type of building), with a high quality of design and unusual roof-top service area access, which all contribute to the building's architectural interest."
The minister's letter concedes it has never been universally loved, but points out that in 1979 and 1980, soon after it opened, it won a string of construction and design awards.
The town was the last and largest, and by far the most resolutely modern, of the postwar new towns – though it has some surprisingly romantic features, such as the alignment of Midsummer Boulevard, and the shopping centre itself, with the sunrise on the summer solstice. But it still feels raw, despite celebrating its 40th birthday in 2007.
Although much mocked, especially for its concrete cows (given by artist Liz Leyh), the town also had admirers from the start. And many of the residents who moved from battered postwar inner cities loved their bright new houses and streets.
The shopping complex, recently rebranded thecentre:mk, is half a mile long and attracts over 30 million people a year. The architectural bible Pevsner described it in 1994 as "still the best-looking if no longer the biggest shopping centre" in the UK.
"I am absolutely thrilled, I really never thought I'd see this day," said Jon Wright of the 20th Century Society, friend and champion of many an unloved, rain-streaked, concrete hulk. "This really flags the building up as the heart of Milton Keynes, and a building of international importance. I hope now the owners will wear the listing as a badge of pride." That turned out to be wishful thinking.
In a statement, Jon Weymouth, representing the owners, Hermes Property Asset Management and PRUPIM, said: "We are disappointed with the decision taken by the DCMS to list the property. Our concerns that this decision will impact upon the future evolution and growth of thecentre:mk and Central Milton Keynes remain. Both owners will clearly need time to study the decision and its implications."
They owners have fought a rearguard action for most of a decade to ward off the listing, arguing that it would strangle commercial development of the site.
The centre's director, Robert Goodman, has described it as "nondescript and characterless".
The only consolation is that the minister rejected English Heritage advice that it deserved Grade II* listing and placed it in the lowest Grade II category – which in theory could make it easier to win listed building consent for future alterations.
Andrew Teacher, spokesman for the British Property Federation, said: "At a time where we need the freedom for people to invest in regeneration projects to create new jobs, listing the MK Centre is utter madness. One can only hope that Elephant and Castle shopping centre – another key regeneration zone – isn't next on the list. It epitomises all the worst aspects of local protectionism."
The original design, begun in 1973 and completed in 1979, had clean bright simple lines influenced by the German architect Mies van der Rohe, with lots of natural light and plants. It was first proposed for listing in 2002, but that application was withdrawn when the owners reached a management agreement with English Heritage. However the 20th Century Society applied again last year, arguing that the agreement was failing to protect original features including a fountain filled courtyard now drained to make room for more commercial space.
Wright said he could not understand why anyone would not love both the town and the centre.
"I absolutely adore Milton Keynes, I think it's absolutely unique and special – and it's only going to get better with time," he insisted.
By happy coincidence, this weekend also marks the opening of a two-week arts festival celebrating the under-rated cultural richness of Milton Keynes, including its architectural heritage.The townlaid out onagrid pattern more sympathetic to cars than pedestrians – the shopping centre website boasts "there are around 20,000 parking spaces in central Milton Keynes" – will appropriately welcome The Magical Menagerie, the world's only square carousel, created two years ago by the artist Francois Delaroziere for Senart, another new town outside Paris.
The festival will alsofeature a sinister sound sculpture by Janek Schaefer, who lived as a child on the outskirts of Milton Keynes. His piece, Asleep at the Wheel, housed in a disused former Sainsbury's superstore,
Expert view: 'A lost vision of public modernism'
On the face of it, there shouldn't be much controversy about the listing of thecentre:mk. In both architectural and functional terms it's incredibly successful: a modern cathedral of commerce; airy, light and extremely elegant; an attempt to fulfil the dreams of the Weimar Republic in Buckinghamshire. There are many less notable listed buildings, so it should be an open and shut case.
There are two real reasons why it wasn't. First, it's a post-war building; and second, it's a shopping mall. Shopping malls, like the factories whose central place in our culture they replaced, are not supposed to have "architecture". They come in two forms: the concrete monstrosities sponsored in 60s inner cities by the Arndale company, or the out of town neoclassicism-in-fibreglass efforts of the 80s, like Sheffield's Meadowhall. They're either aggressive or kitsch; thecentre:mk is neither. Its minimalism taps into a more optimistic idea of architecture, as does its erstwhile politics.
The modern shopping mall was invented by Victor Gruen, a Viennese socialist who wanted to create urbanity in the new American suburbs of the 1950s. Milton Keynes, planned from the late 60s, aimed at a similar mix of the social and commercial. At first, the shopping building was a public right of way, open all hours, designed not just for purchasing but for real popular interaction. It soon became a private mall, but the architecture endures, a lost vision of public modernism.
To see what makes thecentre:mk special, go to the new mall next door: Midsummer Place, an inept design of "friendly" wavy roofs and tacky materials which contrasts with the original vision in almost every way.
Thecentre:mk's owners demanded the right to bastardise the architecture as they saw fit, and – especially given former architecture minister Margaret Hodge's public disdain for 20th century architecture – doubtless expected easy victory. Instead, its listing coincides with rejections of de-listing attempts from Sheffield and Coventry City Councils for their own post-war shopping buildings. Listing declares that malls can be worthwhile pieces of public architecture. The hope they might become genuinely public parts of the city is much harder to preserve.
Owen Hatherley