Signs of progress and goodwill at this latest Grenfell landmark

The Grenfell “half-anniversary” takes place this Sunday (14 December). The commemoration in December is not as big as the Silent Walk on 14 June each  year, when thousands of us walk silently in solidarity, frustration and – yes – anger. But it is an anniversary nonetheless, when local people and others who care, come together to remember our loved ones, and show our community that we still do care.

This December will be different. After a lot of debate and upset, the shrouded skeleton of the tower is finally being “deconstructed”; about half of it has gone. As the big green heart has moved further and further down, the dark shadow over our neighbourhood diminishes.

There are very mixed feelings. Many will be relieved not to see this triggering presence in the neighbourhood; others believe it is just another step to ensure that we forget what happened, along with all the corporative, local and national government failures which preceded the atrocity.

A year ago, on 4 December 2024, a statement on the condition of the tower was released by Angela Rayner, then secretary of state at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), along with the structural engineer’s report. I read both.

>> Also read: Grenfell Tower: what happens next will define how we remember

Discovering that there had been an earlier report under the previous government in May 2021, I read that too. The 2021 report stated that “the tower should not be propped for the medium to long-term but should be deconstructed at the earliest possible opportunity, with deconstruction commencing no later than May 2022”.

Nothing had been done, and the community knew nothing about the 2021 report, so clearly the situation had got worse in the interval. By 2024 the tower was being supported by 6,000 props which were suffering from exposure to wind and rain.

It would have been better if the secretary of state had shared this knowledge, and explained the background. But she did not. So, when the “deconstruction” works were announced in February this year, it came as a shock, and there was huge upset and anger.

While all of this was ongoing, a competition had been announced by the Grenfell Memorial Commission to find an architecture practice that would work with the local community to bring forward plans for the memorial. A panel of bereaved, survivors and local residents was chosen to oversee and steer it.

Jane Duncan, chair of the RIBA expert panel on fire safety, is architect advisor, working closely with the panel as they progressed through the competition to agree on the final choice of practice to bring the project forward.

As a neighbour, local councillor, and MP for Kensington at the time of the fire, I committed to watch over but not input in any way into the various consultation events over the past year. It was clear to me that those most affected should make the decisions.

Here were five groups of community-minded architects, from diverse backgrounds, presenting their approach in a thoughtful, sensitive and reflective way

It is a positive that the process was run by MHCLG as there is still, unfortunately, little trust of anything that emanates from the “Grenfell council” as it has become known. From what I have heard – and this is a huge achievement – this has been the least distrusted consultation related to Grenfell to date.

The presentation of the five practices shortlisted by the panel was courteous, respectful, engaging – and hopeful. Here were five groups of community-minded architects, from diverse backgrounds, presenting their approach in a thoughtful, sensitive and reflective way. It certainly felt that they were presenting “with us” and not “to them”, which is still the council’s fall-back position.

Freehaus was the practice chosen by resident consultation and the panel. They talked, they listened, and they prevailed. It is a hugely sensitive and controversial project, and I wish them all the luck in the world. We will all be watching closely.

The clock is ticking as we wait one more year to hear about potential charges from the Metropolitan Police, who are investigating 19 companies and 58 individuals for criminal acts. Many are hoping there will be charges of gross negligence manslaughter, which would mean – if found guilty – that those charged could go to jail. The wait for some is just intolerable.

Undoubtedly some people will object to whatever Freehaus come up with and, given how the community has been treated over the past eight and a half years, many people are just waiting to feel betrayed, once again. But, whatever the designs proposed in the coming months, we know that it comes with goodwill, respect and care.