The deputy prime minister Angela Rayner has confirmed the government’s plans to demolish Grenfell Tower.
Rayner met bereaved families and survivors of the Grenfell Tower tragedy earlier this week and has written to them and residents in the immediate community to share her decision that the tower will be “carefully taken down to the ground”.
In a statement, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, said: “This is a deeply personal matter for the people affected and the deputy prime minister is committed to keeping their voice at the heart of this process. She recognises how difficult it is for them and her priority has been to let them know her decision first. “
It added that Rayner had prioritised engagement with the community since her appointment in July and had met bereaved families, survivors and residents in the immediate community. However, the statement said there was no consensus about what should happen to the tower and expert engineering advice says the building is “significantly damaged”.
“It remains stable because of the measures put in place to protect it but even with installation of additional props, the condition of the building will continue to worsen over time. Engineers also advise it is not practicable to retain many of the floors of the building in place as part of a memorial that must last in perpetuity. Taking the engineering advice into account the deputy prime minister concluded that it would not be fair to keep some floors of the building that are significant to some families, whilst not being able to do so for others and knowing that, for some, this would be deeply upsetting,” the statement added.
The government said there will be no changes to the tower before the eighth anniversary of the tragedy and in the coming months, it will confirm the specialist contractor that will develop a detailed plan for taking the tower down.
The work will be led by technical experts it will likely take around two years to “sensitively take down the tower through a process of careful and sensitive progressive deconstruction that happens behind the wrapping”.
