Grenfell Tower to be demolished, Angela Rayner confirms
Grenfell Tower to be demolished, Angela Rayner confirms
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Housing secretary formally announces London tower block where 72 people died in 2017 will be pulled down. The remains of Grenfell Tower, the west London tower block in which 72 people lost their lives in a fire, are to be demolished over a two-year period starting after the eight-year anniversary of the 2017 disaster. The housing secretary, Angela Rayner, formally announced the decision on Friday after informing bereaved families and survivors earlier this week.
On 14 June 2017, the high-rise block in North Kensington was engulfed in flames, killing 70 people, with another two people dying later in hospital. The final report of the Grenfell Tower inquiry, published in September, concluded the disaster was the result of “decades of failure” by the government and the construction industry to act on the dangers of flammable materials on high-rise buildings.
In a statement, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, said there would be no changes to the tower before the eighth anniversary and in the coming months the government would confirm the specialist contractor that will develop a detailed plan for taking down the tower, which would take two years. “It will likely take around two years to sensitively take down the tower through a process of careful and sensitive progressive deconstruction that happens behind the wrapping,” it said.
Grenfell United, which represents some bereaved people and survivors, earlier this week said it appeared “no one supported” the government’s decision to demolish the block, with some backing a proposal to keep it as a memorial. The ministry said it was not practicable or fair to keep some floors as a memorial. It added: “For some, Grenfell Tower is a symbol of all that they lost. The presence of the tower helps to ensure the tragedy is never forgotten and can act as a reminder of the need for justice and accountability.
“Being able to see the tower every day helps some people continue to feel close to those they lost. For others it is a painful reminder of what happened and is having a daily impact on some members of the community. “Some have suggested that some floors of the tower should be retained for the memorial, others have said that this would be too painful.”. The ministry said it would continue to work with the independent Grenfell Tower Memorial Commission as the community choose a design team to design a memorial.
