Grenfell Tower will be torn down over two years, government confirms

Grenfell Tower will be torn down despite victims’ families begging them to ‘keep the shrine of their loved ones’.

The demolition is expected to take ‘around two years to sensitively take down’.

There will also be no changes before the eight anniversary of the disaster in June.

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner was met with gasps after she told bereaved families on Wednesday the entire building will be dismantled.

Some 72 people were killed in the blaze, which ripped through the London tower block built with combustible cladding on June 14, 2017.

Survivors have since urged the government to reconsider, accusing them of wanting to put the disaster ‘out of sight and out of mind’.

But it was announced today plans to demolish the building will still go ahead.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said the tower is significantly damaged and will get worse with time.

In an official update, the government said: ‘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,” it said.

‘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.’

Survivor Emma O’Connor said: ‘We have not been properly consulted or engaged with in making the decision to take down Grenfell Tower. There has been no justice. Until there is, Grenfell Tower must stand.

‘If Grenfell Tower is taken down now, we will become invisible again, we will cease to exist for many.

‘There will be no focus, no justice and our loved ones will have died in vain. Grenfell Tower is an immense symbol of strength and unity for all.’

A specialist contractor tasked with drawing up a demolition plan is expected to be confirmed in the coming months.

Grenfell United, which represents some bereaved and survivors, said it appeared from the room on Wednesday that ‘no-one supported’ the Government’s decision.

They say they’ve repeatedly urged housing secretaries to ‘consult the bereaved and survivors meaningfully before reaching a decision on the tower’ – but claim Angela Rayner ‘refused’ to confirm how many had been spoken to in a recent four-week consultation.

In a statement, they said: ‘Angela Rayner could not give a reason for her decision to demolish the tower. She refused to confirm how many bereaved and survivors had been spoken to in the recent, short four-week consultation.

‘But judging from the room alone – the vast majority of whom were bereaved – no one supported her decision. But she claims her decision is based on our views.’

A permanent memorial is expected to be built on the site, with the Grenfell Tower Memorial Commission outlining plans for it to become a ‘sacred space’.

Ms Rayner has pledged materials from the site and the tower can be carefully removed and returned to the community to include in the memorial.

But support group Grenfell Next of Kin said: ‘For the next of kin of the deceased, that building is a shrine and the death place of their immediate families, their brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, husbands, wives and children – but they understand the hard facts around safety.’

Former housing secretary Michael Gove said that at some stage the tower would have to be taken down.

Mr Gove told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘There needs to a sensitive conversation with the community about the means, the manner and the timing of that, and I have every reason to believe that the department and Angela Rayner are doing that.

He added: ‘Even as the tower is brought down, it’s really important that the Government and other agencies accelerate the pursuit of justice, because for some people who are deeply affected by the tragedy, the continuing presence of the tower, painful as it is, is still a goad to the conscience of the nation to ensure that those, particularly those construction product manufacturers, who were responsible for the tragedy, are pursued in the right way.’

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