Grenfell Tower demolition could begin in September

21 May 2025, 09:25 | Updated: 21 May 2025, 15:12

Demolition of Grenfell Tower could begin in September, the government has said.

The update on timing comes less than a month before the eighth anniversary of the west London tower block fire, which claimed 72 lives.

It had been announced in February that the tower will be brought down to ground level in a process likely to take two years.

On Tuesday, the government said work to prepare the site is expected to start in August, with September as the earliest date for work to “carefully take down” the building to begin.

The update, from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government noted that the work – which will happen behind the wrapping currently in place around the building – is subject to all “necessary approvals” being in place.

News of the government’s decision earlier this year that the tower would be brought down was met with criticism from some bereaved and survivors of the 2017 fire who expressed their upset and shock, saying they felt they had not had their views considered before the decision was taken.

Read more: 'Transparency Must Be Matched by Real Accountability' after Grenfell, writes Joe Powell MP

Read more: Police plan to build full-scale replica of parts of Grenfell as investigation expanded

Deputy Prime Minister and Housing Secretary Angela Rayner later said in an interview that she knew the meeting with those most closely affected was going to be “really difficult” and that there was “not a consensus” among everyone over what should happen to the tower.

Views have varied, with her department acknowledging there had been hopes for some of it to remain in place as a lasting memorial to what happened while others had reported this would be “too painful”.

Justice for Grenfell campaigner, Joe Delaney, told LBC's Nick Ferrari the tower should remain as it is until there have been prosecutions.

He said there was "no choice" but to cover the building as the sight was traumatising children in the area, but they do have a choice about whether it should be demolished.

He said: "The engineering report did say from the eighth floor down could be preserved. So we could just put exoskeleton around it and then put vertical gardens on each side, and actually give us something decent to look at, instead of leaving a hole in the skyline where that tower formerly was."

"There's no good answer," he added.

Grenfell Campaigner Joe Delaney speaks to Nick Ferrari

The government confirmed in February that engineering advice is that the tower “is significantly damaged” and will get worse with time.

Separately, the Grenfell Tower Memorial Commission has been consulting on plans for a permanent memorial in the area of the tower, with recommendations including a “sacred space”, designed to be a “peaceful place for remembering and reflecting”.

It is expected a planning application for a memorial could be submitted in late 2026.

The government said it will also share further information about plans for a second site where materials from the tower “which are not used in the memorial, or conserved, will be safely and respectfully laid to rest”.