The Grenfell Half Anniversary is this Sunday 14 December 2025. The December commemoration isn’t as big as the well-known Silent Walk on 14 June every year, when 1,000s of us walk silently in solidarity, frustration and – yes – anger. But it’s an anniversary none the less, when local people and others who care, come together to remember our loved ones, and show our community that we still 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’s just another step to ensure we forget what happened, along with all the corporative, local and national government failures that preceded the atrocity.
A year ago on 4 December 2024, a statement on the condition of the Tower was released by then Secretary of State for MHCLG Angela Rayner, along with the structural engineer’s report. I read both. Discovering that there had been an earlier report under the previous government in May 2021, I read that too. The 2021 report stated: ‘..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 didn’t. 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 PPRIBA, 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. It’s a positive that the process was run by MHCLG as there is still, unfortunately, zero trust of anything whatever that emanates from the ‘Grenfell Council’ as it’s become known.
From what I’ve heard – and this is a huge achievement – it’s 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.
The practice chosen by resident consultation and the panel, announced last month, was Freehaus. They talked, they listened, and they prevailed. It’s 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 long year for criminal charges by the Metropolitan Police, who are investigating 19 companies and 58 individuals for criminal acts. Many are hoping for charges of gross negligence manslaughter – which means if found guilty they 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 be betrayed, once again.
But whatever the designs proposed in coming months, we will know it comes with goodwill, respect and care we haven’t dared to hope for.
(Reprinted from Morning Star and Building Design magazine)