The United Kingdom government’s decision to dismantle Grenfell Tower has sparked outrage among some bereaved relatives and survivors.
Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner, at a meeting on Wednesday, announced that the west London tower block where a devastating fire in 2017 claimed 72 lives would be taken down to ground level.
However, Grenfell United, a group representing bereaved families and survivors, expressed frustration, stating that none of those at the meeting supported the decision.
“People have been ignored,” said a spokesperson for the group.
The future of the 24-storey tower has been a subject of intense debate for years. While some have advocated for its preservation as a lasting memorial to the tragedy, others support its removal and replacement with a new memorial.
A formal government announcement is expected on Friday. According to Grenfell United, Rayner refused to reveal how many bereaved families and survivors were consulted during the recent four-week consultation period.
“Today’s meeting showed just how upset bereaved and survivors are about not having their views heard or considered in this decision,” the group said in a statement. “Ignoring the voices of bereaved on the future of our loved ones’ gravesite is disgraceful and unforgivable.”
Kimia Zabihyan from Grenfell Next of Kin, another group representing some of the bereaved families, attended the meeting with Rayner and described it as “charged.”
Despite the tension, she noted that Rayner appeared to have good intentions. “The deputy prime minister was very clear that she has taken this decision very seriously, that it is a serious responsibility and that it is a very sensitive decision to make, but it is one that she felt she had to make,” Zabihyan said, adding that engineers’ recommendations informed the decision.
Concerns about the tower’s structural safety due to fire damage have been raised previously.
Zabihyan acknowledged the government’s rationale but said many people remained deeply unhappy.
During the meeting, one person told Rayner, “No-one cares about this more than me, because I had just bits of bone to bury of my mother so that building means a lot to me. That is where her soul is, where her ashes are. It’s in that building.”
Following the meeting, a government spokesperson reiterated Rayner’s commitment to engaging with the affected community.
“This is a deeply personal matter for all those affected, and the deputy prime minister is committed to keeping their voice at the heart of this,” the spokesperson said.
Chairman of the Lancaster West Estate Residents Association, Mushtaq Lasharie, welcomed the decision, arguing that the tower’s removal would bring closure.
“We were waiting over seven-and-a-half years for closure, and I hope this decision will bring it,” he told BBC Radio 4’s The World Tonight. “When we surveyed a few years back, the overwhelming majority wanted to take it out. The reason is, number one, it is dangerous; number two, it reminds us every day.”
Former Labour MP for Kensington and current independent councillor Emma Dent Coad described many of the bereaved and families as “absolutely distraught” over the decision.
“We’ve been told the work will start after the eighth anniversary this June and will be gone by the tenth, so it may take two years to deconstruct,” she said, adding that while some residents were concerned about public health, others saw the tower as a sacred site.
The Grenfell fire, which began on 14 June 2017 due to a faulty fridge in a fourth-floor flat, spread rapidly because of highly flammable cladding on the building’s exterior.
A public inquiry concluded September 2024 that the disaster resulted from numerous government failures and the construction industry’s disregard for warnings about flammable materials on high-rise buildings.
The inquiry chairman, Sir Martin Moore-Bick, noted that the tower was covered in combustible cladding due to the “systematic dishonesty” of companies involved.
While many families have called for criminal action against those implicated in the inquiry, police and prosecutors have stated that no decisions on potential charges will be made before the end of 2026.
In 2023, the Grenfell Tower Memorial Commission recommended that a “sacred space” be created as a place for peaceful reflection and remembrance.
The proposed design includes a garden, a monument, and a dedicated space for private mourning.
A shortlist of five design teams was recently announced, with the winning team expected to be selected later this summer.
