Grenfell Tower to be taken down, government confirms

“It is clear from conversations it remains a sacred site,” the government said in a statement.

“It is also clear that there is not a consensus about what should happen to it.”

Materials from the site and parts of the 24-storey tower will be made available for inclusion as part of a memorial “if the community wishes”, the government added.

The decision to dismantle the building comes after engineers advised it should be “carefully taken down” due to safety concerns.

Fire damage to the upper levels of the tower has been exacerbated by weather, according to a 2020 report.

Experts have advised that the condition of the building will “continue to worsen over time” and it only remains stable due to additional protective measures put in place, the government said.

Engineers have also said it is “not practicable to retain many of the floors of the building in place” as part of a permanent memorial, it added.

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner concluded it “would not be fair” to keep some floors of the building while dismantling others, as doing so would be “deeply upsetting” for survivors, according to the government’s statement.

But some survivors and bereaved families have said the tower should remain as it is until people have been prosecuted over the fire.

No charges in relation to the tragedy will be announced until late 2026, the Metropolitan Police and Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) have said.

Some former residents were told about the decision to take down the tower during a meeting with Rayner on Wednesday.

A spokesperson for Grenfell United, which represents some bereaved families and survivors, said no-one at the meeting supported the plan, and that ignoring their wishes was “disgraceful and unforgivable”.

Kimia Zabihyan, from Grenfell Next of Kin, which also acts for some bereaved families, described the meeting as “charged”, but said Rayner appeared to have attended with the “best of intentions”.

Downing Street said Rayner held the meeting to make sure bereaved families and survivors were the first to hear the government’s decision.

She offered bereaved family members and survivors “the opportunity to meet in person and online at different times and places”, and had “heard many views” through the process, the prime minister’s official spokesman said.

Emma O’Connor, who lived on the 20th floor of tower and escaped the fire, said survivors had not been properly consulted about the plan and called on Rayner to “show us some respect”.

Ms O’Connor has launched a petition calling for local residents, survivors and bereaved family members to be allowed to vote on the tower’s future.