Grenfell Tower set to be demolished amid safety fears

Housing secretary Robert Jenrick has been told that the building poses a risk to the local community
Grenfell Tower
PA Wire
Leah Sinclair5 September 2021

Ministers are expected to announce the demolition of the tower block this month due to safety concerns.

Housing secretary, Robert Jenrick, has been told that the building poses a risk to the local community including the secondary school Aldridge Academy in west London, which is located near the building’s remains.

According to the Sunday Times, senior Whitehall sources said structural engineering experts hired by the government had “unambiguously and unanimously” recommended that the tower should be “carefully taken down”.

Bereaved families have been made aware that a decision will be made on the future of the tower block this month.

Grenfell United, a group of survivors and bereaved families, said they were “shocked” by the development, “given the promise by the government that no decision would be made on the future of the tower without full consultation with the bereaved and the survivors”.

"The Government has engaged with fewer than 10 of the bereaved and survivors on this matter, to date, and with such a wide range of viewpoints across all affected families, we struggle to understand why this would be pushed through so quickly,” they said.

"Given what we went through, safety has always been paramount and we have had previous assurances that the tower can be kept safe for as long as it needs to be, and that it poses no risk to the community around it."

In May, relatives of the Grenfell Tower victims suggested turning the site into a “vertical forest” after the government announced it was prepared to demolish the building.

The Observer reported that the structure would’ve been covered with 72 different species of plants to represent every person who died in the fire in June 2017.

It came as the government published a letter revealing it was considering if and when Grenfell Tower should be taken down, assuring that the “views of the community” would be considered.

A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) spokesman said: “We know how important and sensitive this decision is and no decision has been taken.

“Following important independent safety advice from structural engineers, we are engaging closely with the community as we consider the evidence, including the safety concerns raised, and what the future of the Grenfell Tower should be.”

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