Grenfell Tower: Community considers future of building six years on

Any decision on the future of Grenfell Tower must have bereaved families at the forefront, a survivor has said.

The government has pledged to support a "fitting and lasting memorial" to honour the 72 people who died in a fire in the tower block on 14 June 2017.

Possible options for the site, if the building is taken down, include a memorial garden, monument or museum.

Survivor Edward Daffarn, a Grenfell United committee member, spoke to mark the sixth anniversary of the fire.

"We have to respect that the bereaved families are moving at different paces around 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 an enormous amount of pragmatism, an enormous amount of compassion and understanding among ourselves as a community because no individual is going to get exactly what they want on that site."

The tower in North Kensington, west London, is currently covered in a protective wrap, adorned with a green heart and the words "forever in our hearts".

Members of the local community marked the sixth anniversary of the disaster by laying wreaths at the foot of the tower.

A special service took place at All Saints Church in Notting Hill and several community remembrance events have been held.

On Wednesday evening, survivors and bereaved relatives of victims gathered for a silent walk in north Kensington, near the tower. Many of those who took part held placards carrying messages about justice and accountability for the fire.

Since the fire, many survivors have called for changes in social housing policy and for criminal prosecutions to be brought.

Marcio Gomes, who lived on the 21st floor, said: "You'd think Grenfell would be the catalyst for change, we still have this material that burns and the government is still not really doing anything about it. It's very difficult to take.

"But today I'm going to be thinking about getting together and finding some kind of peace."

Matt Wrack, Fire Brigades Union general secretary, said: "Six years on, and the community is still waiting for answers. No-one responsible has yet been held accountable."

Hundreds of bereaved family members, survivors and residents have agreed a settlement of civil claims but the Metropolitan Police has said no prosecutions will be brought until after a report has been published from the public inquiry.

The hearing concluded in November and is expected to report back early next year.

The government said a decision on its future would not be made without "further conversations with bereaved families, survivors and local residents".

A spokesperson said it was committed to supporting "the creation of a fitting and lasting memorial, determined by the community, to honour those who lost their lives in the tragedy".

Secretary of state Michael Gove has pledged statutory legal protections for leaseholders with cladding problems.

Last year, he pledged new advice for assessing property safety, that no leaseholder in a building over 11m in height would face cladding costs, as well as a £27m fund to pay for fire alarms and sprinklers to end so-called waking watches.

The Grenfell Tower Memorial Commission continues to gather views from bereaved families, survivors and local residents about options for a future memorial.

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

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