The Government is going to consider pulling down the remains of Grenfell Tower where 72 people lost their lives.
A letter from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) said it would be decided in summer if and when the tower should be ‘carefully’ taken down.
But it added that it would be at least a year before any decision on the future of the tower is implemented.
This will be after the fourth anniversary of the blaze at the tower block in west London on June 14.
The letter, signed by Alistair Watters, director of the Grenfell site and programme at the MHCLG, said: ‘Following important advice from structural engineers about the condition of the tower, we need to consider this summer if, and when, the tower should be carefully taken down to maintain safety.
‘This is so that we can plan for this as part of the ongoing safety works taking place within the tower.
‘I want to reassure you that it will be at least a year before we begin to implement any decision, which means there will be no change to the tower before the fifth anniversary in 2022.
‘The work of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry will continue during this period.’
The letter, dated May 7, said that people will be invited to in-person and online meetings this month to hear from the MHCLG’s Grenfell site team and structural engineers.
It added: ‘We know how important and sensitive this decision is, and we continue to engage with those most affected at every step.
‘No final decision has been taken and we will carefully take into account the views of the community.’
Among 28 bills announced in The Queen’s Speech on Tuesday was a new Building Safety Regulator to ‘ensure that the tragedies of the past are never repeated’.
But in a statement, Grenfell United said members were ‘deeply let down’ by the Government not including the Social Housing White Paper in the speech.
It said: ‘Ministers have missed a massive opportunity to help right some wrongs for social housing tenants across the country.
‘We have waited long enough for change. We are just a month away from the fourth anniversary of the Grenfell fire.
‘Ministers must remember how neglect of tenants had contributed to the catastrophe that killed 72 of our loved ones and neighbours, and commit to doing the right thing.’
Meanwhile, the Grenfell Tower Inquiry heard that architects had been appointed to the refurbishment of Grenfell Tower without council officials checking they had any experience with high-rise buildings.
Giving evidence on Tuesday Laura Johnson, who was director of housing at the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, said she would have expected Studio E, the architects for the refurbishment of the 24-storey block, to have had the requisite experience or found an expert who did.
When asked if the decision to appoint Studio E was to make cost savings and to make its ‘aesthetic’ integrate with the new school and leisure centre being built next door, she said: ‘It did not have anything to do with Studio E’s track record of undertaking refurbishment projects on residential properties.
‘It had to do with economies of scale, it had to do with linking it to the KALC project and it was also about doing two very large projects in a very small area and getting the benefits of the same design team doing them both.’
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