Two-year Grenfell demolition could start in September

A specialist contractor is expected to begin work as early as September to “carefully” demolish Grenfell Tower, the government has said.

In a community update before Saturday’s eighth anniversary of the blaze that killed 72 people, the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) said it recognised that the issue was “extremely sensitive”.

The ministry said it expected to formally confirm the contractor in the next few weeks, with the appointed specialist tasked with developing a detailed plan to begin demolition in September at the earliest.

“In July, we expect to be able to share details of how we will ensure this important work will be carried out respectfully,” the MHCLG said in an update on Tuesday (10 June).

“In August, we expect to be ready to begin preparing the site so that work to carefully take down the tower can begin in the autumn.”

The government expects the demolition process to take around two years.

In February, deputy prime minister Angela Rayner informed survivors and bereaved families that Grenfell Tower would be demolished.

The move was criticised by Grenfell United, a group of survivors and bereaved families, which said the demolition of the structure was not widely supported and that the Grenfell community had not been adequately consulted on the decision.

Two months later, the government said it intended to award Deconstruct the contract to demolish the 24-storey tower, without a competition.

At the time, the MHCLG said that a £12.25m deal would broaden the scope of Deconstruct’s current maintenance and safety contract.

Deconstruct has acted as principal contractor at the site since 2017 under a £24.5m deal.

Its responsibilities have included structural propping, security and maintenance, and site clearance.

The company has also led weekly monitoring of the building’s condition.

The latest MHCLG update noted that social value forms “an important part” of Deconstruct’s activities at Grenfell Tower, including offering construction-related apprenticeships for local residents.