‘Accountability needed before Grenfell Tower is demolished’
SURVIVOR SAID LEARNING OF PLAN THROUGH PAPER WAS ‘SLAP IN THE FACE’
A GRENFELL survivor has called for accountability before any plans go ahead to demolish the tower, four years after the horrific fire.
Emma O’Connor, who is physically disabled, and her partner escaped from the 20th floor of the building on June 14, 2017.
Within 60 seconds of taking the lift, the 32-year-old saw flames move towards her flat.
The Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government says that it wrote to the bereaved and survivors to attend a meeting in early May to discuss safety concerns around the tower.
However, the Londoner says she was not emailed or written to about any potential demolition and felt that it was “a slap in the face” after finding out about the potential decision through an article in The Times. Emma said: “I felt angry. “Unfortunately, I heard about it through the news. We were not consulted at all.
“When it comes down, it should be when people are held accountable.
“It shouldn’t come down before the inquiry finishes and before the police investigations kick off fully.
“At the moment they’re still trying to work on their prosecution cases. It seems to be taking forever.”
She said that there was no communication to give notice.
Emma said: “It was a slap in the face to read plans that Grenfell Tower was going to be demolished without any emails from them or even consulting Grenfell United”.
Grenfell United released a statement following the reports from The Times, stating that it was a “shock” to hear of the plans and that fewer than 10 of the bereaved families had been engaged with by the Government.
A spokesperson from the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government said: “We know how important and sensitive this decision is and no decision has been taken. Following important independent safety advice from structural engineers, we are engaging closely with the community as we consider the evidence, including the safety concerns raised and what the future of the Grenfell Tower should be.
“We have now published this advice to ensure those most affected have access to the information that will inform a decision on the tower before one is reached.”
Emma said fond memories of her old home would make demolition difficult for her.
She said: “[Seeing it demolished] would probably make me feel quite angry. That was where I called home.
“Even though we did get frustrated with neighbours and that, the view was second to none, especially on New Year’s Eve and Bonfire Night.
The Londoner felt disheartened by what she felt was an erasure of what happened to the 72 people who died in the Tower, after noticing that it had disappeared from a popular taxi service map.
Emma said: “I was tracking my mum’s cab and they were going past Grenfell. It’s completely disappeared off the map.
“It gets me really, really angry.” The pain of the trauma and loss still affects Emma and seeing the tower deleted from a map, let alone being demolished, is enough to stir emotion.
She said: “It’s still standing, how can you take something off that’s still standing?
“To me it’s like they’re insulting the people that have lost their lives, just removing it from existence from maps”.
As the Government says it still has yet to make a decision on the Tower’s future, four years on, the bereaved and survivors continue to await the fate of the building.