Almost eight years after 72 people died when a devastating fire ripped through a tower block in central London, the government is set to announce that the building will be demolished, according to former residents and survivors’ groups.
Survivors of the fire at Grenfell Tower responded to the plans after a meeting on Wednesday with the deputy prime minister, Angela Rayner, ahead of an official announcement on the future of the structure, which is expected on Friday.
One group condemned the decision to demolish the remains of the building. In a statement on social media, Grenfell United, a group representing residents, said that Ms. Rayner “could not give a reason for her decision to demolish the tower,” and that she could not say “how many bereaved and survivors had been spoken to.”
But another group that represents some of the bereaved families, Grenfell Next of Kin, acknowledged that the tower could not be allowed to remain a permanent feature of the London skyline for structural reasons, saying in a statement: “Do we wish the whole tower could stand forever? Yes. Is that an option? Not from a structural point of view. Do we need a way forward? Yes.”
Since 2017, the shell of the tower — covered in a protective wrap — has remained a visible symbol of Britain’s most lethal residential fire since World War II.
Some former residents would like some or all of the building to remain in place as a lasting reminder and warning — or at least for it to remain until any possible prosecutions begin in connection with the disaster. That may not happen before 2027.
Others have supported moves for Grenfell Tower to be replaced with a permanent memorial, such as a garden and monument, to those who lost their lives there.
The blaze was started by faulty wiring in a refrigerator and ripped through the 24-storey building aided by flammable exterior cladding and insulation that had been installed the year before.
Some residents were advised to stay in their apartments and await help from firefighters that never came. An official inquiry, whose findings were published last year, blamed cost-cutting, dishonest sales practices and lax regulation for the disaster.
Grenfell also came to symbolize fears about growing inequality in Britain, following years of government austerity, because the tower had housed many on modest incomes living in one of the wealthiest parts of the country.
But it has proved difficult to decide what to do with the remainder of the building, the higher levels of which are said to be structurally unsound.
Grenfell Next of Kin said in its statement that the building was being supported “by approximately 6,000 props,” at a cost that by 2028 is projected to reach 340 million pounds — about $425 million — and that it could not be propped up indefinitely because of “safety concerns.” The group noted that the previous Conservative government had avoided taking a decision on the tower’s future, and that Ms. Rayner was in a difficult position.
However, it added: “We want discussion about the facts — the structural issues that have informed this decision. We want a discussion about what will go in the tower’s place.”
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said in a statement that “the priority for the deputy prime minister is to meet with and write to the bereaved, survivors and the immediate community to let them know her decision on the future of the Grenfell Tower.”
It added: “This is a deeply personal matter for all those affected, and the deputy prime minister is committed to keeping their voice at the heart of this.”
Content Source: www.nytimes.com