Grenfell Tower: The community considers the future of construction six years later

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June 14, 2023, 05:55 GMT

Updated 54 minutes ago

Image courtesy of Dominic Lipinski

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The tower is covered in protective casing featuring a green heart and the message “Forever in Our Hearts”

One survivor said that any decision about the future of Grenfell Tower must be made first by the bereaved families.

The government has pledged to support an “appropriate and permanent memorial” to honor the 72 people who died in a fire in the tower on 14 June 2017.

Possible options for the site, should the building be removed, include a memorial garden, memorial or museum.

Survivor Edward Dafarne, a member of the Grenfell United Committee, spoke ahead of the sixth anniversary of the fire.

“We have to respect that the bereaved families are moving at different paces about their ability to make decisions about the future of the tower, so we need to be patient,” he said.

“When those decisions are made, we’re going to need a tremendous amount of pragmatism, an enormous amount of empathy and understanding among ourselves as a community because no individual is going to get exactly what they want on this site.”

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Marcio Gomez, who lived on the 21st floor, says not enough was being done to prevent another tragedy

The tower, located in North Kensington, West London, is currently covered in protective cladding, and emblazoned with a green heart and the words “Forever in Our Hearts”.

Community members commemorate the sixth anniversary of the disaster by laying wreaths at the foot of the tower.

Special services were also held in two local churches.

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A large patchwork quilt sewn by survivors of his tragedy was displayed near the tower on the sixth anniversary

Later, survivors and relatives of the bereaved victims are expected to take part in a silent walk in North Kensington near the Tower.

Participants will be encouraged to wear green clothing to show that they “stand united in the fight for justice”.

Since the fire, many survivors have called for changes to social housing policy and for criminal prosecution.

Marcio Gomez, who lived on the 21st floor, said: “You’d think Grenfell would be a catalyst for change, we still have this material burning and the government still doesn’t do anything about it. It’s very hard to take.”

“But today I will think about getting together and finding some kind of peace.”

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The Grenfell Community Mosaic has been installed

“Six years have passed, and society is still waiting for answers. No one responsible has been held accountable,” said Matt Wrack, general secretary of the Firefighters’ Union.

Hundreds of bereaved family members, survivors and residents have agreed to settle civil claims, but the Metropolitan Police said no claims will be filed until after a report from the Public Inquiry is published.

The government said a decision about her future would not be taken without “further conversations with bereaved families, survivors and the local population”.

A spokesperson said it was committed to supporting “the creation of an appropriate and permanent memorial, designated by the community, to honor those who lost their lives in the tragedy.”

Foreign Secretary Michael Gove has pledged legal legal protections for tenants with cladding problems.

Last year he pledged new property safety assessment advice, under which no tenant in a building more than 11m high would face cladding costs, as well as a £27m fund to pay for fire alarms and sprinklers to end so-called waking hours.

The Grenfell Tower Memorial Committee continues to gather perspectives from bereaved families, survivors, and local residents on options for the building’s future.

Listen to BBC Radio London’s coverage of the anniversary of the Grenfell Tower disaster on BBC Sounds.

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