Government: We need to consider pulling down Grenfell Tower

The Government has said that it needs to consider if and when Grenfell Tower should be “carefully” taken down.

In a letter, which was posted on social media yesterday, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) said that it will be at least a year before any decision on the future of the tower is implemented.

This will be after the fifth anniversary of the blaze at the tower block in west London in June 2017 that claimed 72 lives, it added.

The letter, signed by Alistair Watters, director of the Grenfell site and programme at the MHCLG, said: “Following important advice from structural engineers about the condition of the tower, we need to consider this summer if, and when, the tower should be carefully taken down to maintain safety.

“This is so that we can plan for this as part of the ongoing safety works taking place within the tower. I want to reassure you that it will be at least a year before we begin to implement any decision, which means there will be no change to the tower before the fifth anniversary in 2022.”

The letter said that people will be invited to in-person and online meetings this month to hear from the MHCLG’s Grenfell site team and structural engineers.

It added: “We want to ensure bereaved families, survivors and residents have access to the information that will inform a decision on the tower before it is made.

“Later this month, and after we have been able to discuss it with you first, we will publish the information that will inform a decision.”

An MHCLG spokesperson said: “Following important safety advice from our structural engineers, we now need to sensitively consider what the future of the Grenfell Tower will be, drawing on expert advice. No final decision has been taken and we will carefully take into account the views of the community.”

The letter comes as Grenfell United, a group of survivors and bereaved relatives, said it felt “deeply let down” that the Social Housing White Paper was not in the Queen’s Speech. The speech announced that ministers will establish in law a new Building Safety Regulator to “ensure that the tragedies of the past are never repeated”.

But Grenfell United said: “We have been deeply let down by the Government excluding the Social Housing White Paper from the Queen’s Speech. Ministers have missed a massive opportunity to help right some wrongs.

“Ministers must remember how neglect of tenants had contributed to the catastrophe that killed 72 of our loved ones and neighbours, and commit to doing the right thing.”

The blaze at the tower block claimed 72 lives.