Materials from the site and parts of the tower will be made available for inclusion as part of a memorial “if the community wishes”, the government said.
Some former residents were told about the decision during a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner on Wednesday.
A spokesperson for Grenfell United, which represents some bereaved families and survivors, said no-one at the meeting supported the plan, and that ignoring their wishes was “disgraceful and unforgivable”.
Kimia Zabihyan, from Grenfell Next of Kin, which also acts for some bereaved families, described the meeting as “charged”, but said Rayner appeared to have attended with the “best of intentions”.
Downing Street said Rayner held the meeting to make sure bereaved families and survivors were the first to hear the government’s decision.
She offered bereaved family members and survivors “the opportunity to meet in person and online at different times and places”, and had “heard many views” through the process, the prime minister’s official spokesman said.
The decision to dismantle the building comes after engineers advised it should be “carefully taken down” due to safety concerns.
Fire damage to the upper levels of the tower has been exacerbated by weather, according to a 2020 report.
Some have said the tower should remain as it is until people have been prosecuted over the fire.
“I don’t think anything should be done to the building before justice is served and those who are responsible go to court and are tried,” said Damel Carayol, who was at Wednesday’s meeting with Rayner.
No charges in relation to the tragedy will be announced until late 2026, the Metropolitan Police and Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) have said.
Emma O’Connor, who lived on the 20th floor of tower and escaped the fire, said survivors “have not been properly consulted” about the plan to take down the building and called on Rayner to “show us some respect”.
Ms O’Connor has launched a petition calling for local residents, survivors and bereaved family members to be allowed to vote on the tower’s future.
Source:
www.bbc.com
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