Grenfell Tower to be demolished

Can't there be both a memorial garden and some fabulous housing for those who lost their homes?

I agree it's all taken far too long and with no-one accepting responsibility it is exactly like a Dickens novel M0nica
Though my choice would probably be Bleak House or Little Dorrit.

Good grief.

Really feel sorry for the nearby residents. Will they have to move out when all this is happening?

I'm just surprised it's taken so long.

I thought it would have been done in the first year

IT needed to go.

It has to be demolished. Apologies if my post suggested I wasn’t convinced of this. Of course I sympathise with the bereaved families and understand their desire for people to be found accountable

If the building is unsafe then it must be demolished - surely there can be no argument about this, as potentially there could be more deaths if partial collapse happened. Londoners had to pick themselves up and move on after the Blitz; imagine the situation if they had wanted to preserve ruins as memorials. It's impossible to imagine how people must feel who have lost loved ones, but surely, as many have said, a peaceful garden would be so much better for the bereaved than a bleak ruin.

Iam64

It’s interesting the consensus here is to demolish. It needs to come down. I hope it can be achieved without the dangerous chemicals etc. causing health problems to the demolition teams or the community. Many firefighters from that dreadful time have long term health problems

It will be a really hard job to demolish it safely I would think, but it needs to be done.

Some residents hope that leaving 10 storeys standing will act as a reminder to those who shared some responsibility for the dangerous cladding and other failings that led to all those lost lives.
The trouble is that many who have no responsibility will remember, either way, when they go past the site on the Westway or Hammersmith & City, & those who bear most responsibility will rationalize it away, turn aside & ignore it even if it's left standing.

lack of accountability seems viable for everyone, what a shit show

Thats a very good article as it shows the real conflict of views. No decision was going to please. Not just conflict within Grenfell survivors but current local residents.

Grenfell residents are still waiting to hear if there will be criminal charges.

The BBC explains it all a bit better
www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cq5g99xy979o

There must be some reason why there is so much opposition from former residents to having it demolished? The article doesn't really explain the reasoning behind it

It’s interesting the consensus here is to demolish. It needs to come down. I hope it can be achieved without the dangerous chemicals etc. causing health problems to the demolition teams or the community. Many firefighters from that dreadful time have long term health problems

This Sky article says that plans already in place for some kind of memorial

"Last year, the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) was commissioned to preside over an official Grenfell memorial.

In January they shortlisted five architectural firms to design it, with a decision due this summer.

They are: Curl La Tourelle + Head Architecture; Freehaus; George King Architects x Grow to Know; New South; Office Sian.

RIBA says they all underwent "robust evaluation" to make sure they have "the right skills, capability, and awareness of the Grenfell tragedy" and that they do not belong to an organisation that "bears any potential responsibility for the tragedy".

It adds that the team chosen must "also present their strong experience of working collaboratively with communities" over the next six months.

According to its website: "It is anticipated that the memorial design should be sufficiently developed, in partnership with the community, to allow for a planning application in late 2026."

The article is very good as it has pictures showing just how crowded a space it is and it does shout "garden" or similar to me initially in this greatly overcrowded urban landscape.

also has residents views.

news.sky.com/story/grenfell-tower-what-happens-now-13304571

Raynesr is right to demolish it. We need the space for more housing rather than a memorial garden.

The reason it’s being demolished is because it has become unsafe. Therefore there is no choice; it has to be demolished. However a memorial garden, or some other sort of memorial, should be part of the replacement once the tower has gone.

Grenfell Tower, standing in all its ugliness, constantly pulls people back when they need to move forward.

This is how I feel.

My family experienced disaster and devastation and we were relieved when a memorial replaced the horrific reminder of what we had lost.

I do agree that not all families will feel the same.

True ViceVersa ,poor people, feeling safe in a home or a school but suddenly no more

Indeed it is, Anniebach. Everyone grieves in their own way and there's no right or wrong to it. As far as Grenfell is concerned, while I think it should probably be demolished and replaced by some kind of memorial, I know some of the survivors and families of those who died don't feel the same way.

Grief is so personal ,

Yes, Great Expectations is fiction, but it described a phenomena that exists in reality. Grenfell Tower, as it is, is an example of such a phenomena. You never forget or cease mourning the person(s) you have lost, but in the midst of life is death, death must come to one and all. To quote a Benjamin Britten opera, but we must continue to look forward and live our life the best we can for those with us and come after the tragedy.

Grenfell Tower, standing in all its ugliness, constantly pulls people back when they need to move forward.

Yes, it should be demolished.

Housing would be a sensible solution, done sympathetically with recreation and peaceful space also.

lixy

I agree that it should be taken down but many properties still have unsafe cladding. While it stands it is a strong reminder that there is still work to do to keep people safe.

The memorial at the twin towers is austere, not a pretty garden but a strong monument. Everyone who was there when I was last year was silent and subdued; a very thought- provoking place.

I don't associate the word 'austere' with the memorial. I thought it a beautiful, simple, respectful oasis of remembrance.
Like you, when we were there, the atmosphere was one of quiet reflection. By chance our museum visit had been on a Wednesday and we exited from the museum to the memorial to the sound of the 3 pipers who play once a week at lunchtime. The most poignant tribute.

For Grenfell, I hope they come up with something as tasteful and respectful.

Absolutely Annie, it’s already unsafe now apparently. What if further deaths occurred because it became totally unsafe. It needs to be demolished and a memorial put there for safe reflection.