GRENFELL DECISION
Grenfell Tower ‘to be demolished’ years after horrific blaze ripped through building killing 72, bereaved families told
The decision comes as the bereaved families have been caught in an agonizing battle for justice
GRENFELL Tower is set to be demolished years after the tragedy which claimed the lives of 72 people.
Bereaved families of the Grenfell fire are understood to have been told the tower block will be demolished.
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Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, who is also Housing Secretary, met with relatives and survivors on Wednesday evening.
A spokesperson for Grenfell Next of Kin, a group representing some bereaved families, said Ms Rayner had "announced the decision that the tower will have to be carefully deconstructed".
Grenfell United, which represents some of the survivors and bereaved families of the disaster, said: "We've said this to every secretary of state for housing since the very beginning: consult the bereaved and survivors meaningfully before reaching a decision on the tower.
"Angela Rayner could not give a reason for her decision to demolish the tower.
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"She refused to confirm how many bereaved and survivors had been spoken to in the recent, short four-week consultation.
"But judging from the room alone - the vast majority of whom were bereaved - no one supported her decision.
"But she claims her decision is based on our views.
"Today's meeting showed just how upset bereaved and survivors are about not having their views heard or considered in this decision.
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"Ignoring the voices of bereaved on the future of our loved ones' gravesite is disgraceful and unforgivable."
Views have varied on what should happen on the site.
Grenfell survivor relives the trauma of fleeing the fire
Some of the bereaved and survivors feel the tower should remain in place.
They want to wait until there are criminal prosecutions over the failings which led to the fire.
But that could be a while away yet.
In a previous update, the Government said structural engineering advice remained unchanged "in that the building (or that part of it that was significantly damaged) should be carefully taken down".
In a 2023 report, the commission set out a series of recommendations for a "sacred space", designed to be a "peaceful place for remembering and reflecting".
A shortlist of five potential design teams was announced last month, and a winning design team is set to be selected this summer.
The commission said it expects the memorial design to be sufficiently developed to enable a planning application to be submitted in late 2026.
It said the space should include a garden, a monument and a dedicated space for the private expression of grief and mourning for the families who lost loved ones.
The west London tower block was covered in combustible products because of the "systematic dishonesty" of firms who made and sold the cladding and insulation, inquiry chairman Sir Martin Moore-Bick said.
The construction industry was also slammed for failing to act on the dangers of flammable materials on high-rise buildings.
He said the "simple truth" is that all the deaths were avoidable and that those who lived in the tower were "badly failed" by authorities "in most cases through incompetence but, in some cases, through dishonesty and greed".
Police and prosecutors said, in May last year, that investigators would need until the end of 2025 to complete their inquiry, with final decisions on potential criminal charges by the end of 2026.
The nearly 10-year wait for justice has been described by families as "unbearable".
The final report of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, published in September, concluded the disaster was the result of "decades of failure" by the government.
What is left of the tower has stood in place since the fatal fire on June 14 2017 with a covering on the building featuring a large green heart.
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The words "forever in our hearts" accompany it, to pay respect to those who were lost.
The Sun has reached out to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government for comment.
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