Grenfell Tower’s shell will haunt the skyline until 2022
Traumatised locals face living in the shadow of the burnt-out tower until 2022 as they wait for a decision on its demolition.
Grenfell Tower is to stand as an unwanted reminder of Britain’s worst postwar fire until about 2022.
The protracted timetable to demolish the building’s burnt-out shell has raised concerns that its “brooding presence” will continue to traumatise those who live nearby.
The remains of the tower are needed for evidential purposes for the public inquiry into the disaster. It could also take months more to choose and approve a memorial for the site in west London once it is cleared.
The demolition of the building will take a further 18 months and involve floor-by-floor dismantling because it stands next to the Kensington Aldridge Academy and a residential estate.
It means that the tower, where 71 people died in June 2017, is unlikely to be completely removed from the capital’s skyline for another four years.
“We cannot move to any semblance of normality while it’s still a brooding presence,” said Robert Atkinson, leader of the Labour group at Kensington and Chelsea council whose ward covers Grenfell Tower.
Atkinson said it was important for the community, including bereaved families and survivors, to gain justice and to have the final say on what eventually happens to the site. But he added: “We want the tower down as quickly as feasible.”
Builders took almost an entire year to cover the tower with a screen. The site was released only last month as a crime scene by the Metropolitan police.
Although the land is still owned by the council, the site is controlled by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. It is setting up a “memorial commission” of interested parties to decide the area’s future.
One option is for the site to be turned into a memorial park or garden, possibly with a museum attached to explain the tragedy to future generations. Calls by left-wing activists to keep the tower standing as a reminder of “austerity” policies appear to have subsided.
The ministry said: “No decision has been made on the future of the tower and we do not recognise these time frames.”
Meanwhile, thousands of flat owners in tower blocks with Grenfell-style cladding may not have to pay huge bills to replace the exterior following an intervention by the government.
James Brokenshire, the housing secretary, has written to 60 property developers saying they will face enforcement action if they do not foot the bill for the removal of such cladding.
See more here: thetimes.co.uk
Header image: DAN KITWOOD/GETTY IMAGES
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