Why hasn't Grenfell Tower been demolished?
The long-awaited final report by the Grenfell Tower Inquiry has finally been published, with bereaved families and loved ones saying it showed the victims were "failed by calculated dishonesty and greed”. However, questions remain including over the fate of the building itself.
On Wednesday, the long-awaited inquiry declared that the devastating fire was a result of "decades of failure" by government and the construction industry to act on the dangers of flammable materials on high-rise buildings.
Chairman Sir Martin Moore-Bick said the tower was covered in combustible products because of "systematic dishonesty" who made and sold the cladding and insulation. He also called out “deliberate” manipulation of fire-safety testing and misrepresentation of test data and misleading of the market.
Speaking after the report was published, Natasha Elcock, on behalf of Grenfell United, said: “We paid the price of systematic dishonesty, institutional indifference and neglect.”
The statement added that while the report is a “significant chapter” in the years since the fire, “justice has not been delivered” as they restated their call for police and prosecutors to “ensure that those who are truly responsible are held to account and brought to justice”.
Many unanswered questions remain about the Grenfell Tower fire, including what will happen to the building itself, which still stands in North Kensington.
What will happen to Grenfell Tower?
In the seven years since the Grenfell Tower tragedy, there have been mixed messages over the future of the tower block – much to the frustration of campaigners and former residents.
The government sent residents a letter in 2021 claiming it had received "important advice about the condition of the tower" and that it needed to consider if, and when, "the tower should be carefully taken down to maintain safety".
It said it would take the views of the community into account, but many survivors and campaigners pushed back, accusing the government of not consulting them properly, and expressing concerns over the building being demolished while the inquiry was still ongoing.
A report in the Sunday Times in September 2021 claimed ministers were set to announce the tower's demolition on advice of structural engineering experts hired by the government. Two months later, the then-recently appointed housing secretary Michael Gove apologised for the leaked reports and said he was “truly sorry” for the “tremendous and justified upset”.
He pledged to take a "different approach", but not much has happened since then. Late last year, residents and relatives said they felt "left in limbo" after a £21.3m contract was tendered to provide maintenance and security for the tower until July 2027.
The Grenfell Tower Memorial Commission, set up in 2018, is overseeing plans for a permanent memorial at the site. Its recommendations include a garden, a monument or other built structure and a design displaying the “rich mix of faiths and cultural backgrounds that make up the Grenfell community”.
It adds that the community "must always remain at the centre of decisions about the memorial". One option being considered is a vertical garden tower (sketches of which are pictured above) based on an idea by Italian architect Stefan Boeri.
Will Grenfell Tower be demolished?
No firm decisions have been made about Grenfell Tower's future yet.
Early this year, Kimia Zabihyan, from the Grenfell Next of Kin group told BBC Radio 4 that the tower was a "sacred place for those who lost their parents and children and siblings and partners", which could explain why plans for a vertical garden have gained support.
Speaking to New Civil Engineer in 2021, National Federation of Demolition Contractors chief executive Howard Button said demolishing the block would not be straightforward. The rebar could be in a very bad state. The structural stability of the building must have degraded," he said.
“It must be a horrible building to go into. I wouldn’t want to be going in and clearing it. It is going to be very challenging.”
Yahoo News has contacted the Ministry of Housing – which took ownership of the site after the fire – and the Justice4Grenfell group for updates on when, if at all, the building could be demolished.
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Read more
Grenfell children speak of ‘guilt’ at surviving tower block disaster that killed 72(Evening Standard)
Wife of Grenfell hero says final inquiry report ‘is not justice for us... no one is going to jail’(The Telegraph)
A web of blame: key findings from the second phase of the Grenfell inquiry (The Guardian)
