The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has published an update explaining how its appointed contractor will “carefully” take down the remains of the Grenfell Tower.
Dismantling will start at the top and each floor will take around one month to take down.
The demolition will be carried out behind the building’s white outer layer, with two metres of wrapping in place above the working area “to respect the unique circumstances of the tragedy and significance of the building”.
A second scaffolding ‘shelf’ will be added to the tower.
A crane will be installed on the east side of the tower to lift materials into unmarked lorries. Everything that is removed from the site will be “carefully covered” before being taken away.
MHCLG will make elements of the tower available for inclusion in the planned memorial “if the community wish”. The architectural crown will be preserved and stored.
The department said that it is in talks with the bereaved families and survivors about a second site, separate from the memorial planned in North Kensington, where it proposes “materials from the Tower will be respectfully laid to rest”.
‘Trauma aware’ work
MHCLG said that illumination will be used “to create a visible presence on the skyline”. The banner with the green heart design will be moved down the building in stages as the scaffolding it is fixed to is taken down.
Deconstruct, the company appointed for the demolition job and which has been the tower’s site principal contractor since 2017, will be available for meetings with the community through regular meetings, MHCLG said.
The department has highlighted that the work will be carried out “sensitively and respectfully”.
“We recognise that Grenfell Tower has a deep personal significance to those most
affected by the tragedy and the land is sacred to families,” MHCLG said.
“The government is committed to ensuring that all work at the Grenfell Tower site is carried out to the highest standards. We will continue to ensure all work at the site respects the significance of the building, is considerate, trauma aware and minimises disruption for those living, studying and working nearby.”
Deputy prime minister Angela Rayner confirmed in February the plans to “carefully take down” the remains of Grenfell Tower.
A spokesperson for Grenfell United, a group representing some of the bereaved families and survivors, said that no one supported the plan at a meeting they had with Rayner before she announced the tower’s demolition.
A report prepared by independent experts, including engineers, found that the condition of the tower “will continue to worsen the longer the building is left in place” and it only remains stable because of props and additional measures, the government said.
Government should respectfully consider, even at this late stage, construction of a Grenfell Vilage on the site of the original Crystal Palace on the south side of Hyde Park- it’s big enough; is the government, and/or the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea; or certain construction product providers?