Grenfell Tower set to be demolished facing uproar. Bereaved London families and survivors have previously said ‘no one’ supported plans to demolish the block. Grenfell Tower set to be demolished amid backlash from survivors.
The government said on Friday that the tower, which was preserved after the horrific blaze ripped through the building and killed 72 people in June 2017, will be “carefully” taken down.
Ministers had been met with fierce criticism from some bereaved families and survivors of the fire following a private meeting about its future earlier this week.
Grenfell Tower set to be demolished
Confirmation of the decision has led to calls for ministers and others to “accelerate the pursuit of justice” after an official inquiry found “decades of failure” had led to the tragedy.
Deputy prime minister Angela Rayner, who is responsible for housing, is understood to have been met with gasps from shocked families and survivors on Wednesday after she told them it would be knocked down.
But she has suggested that she will ensure that materials from the site are salvaged for a memorial.
Backlash from survivors
Downing Street said Ms Rayner had offered bereaved family members and survivors “the opportunity to meet in person and online at different times and places”, and has “heard many views” through the process.
No changes will take place before the eighth anniversary in June.
What is left of the tower has stood in place in the years since the fire, with a covering on the building featuring a large green heart accompanied by the words “forever in our hearts”.
But in the simplest of terms, that space is far to commercially valuable to leave alone. And scrupulous developers have been constantly seeking to buy that land to develop new builds.