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The moving way London is planning to honour the Grenfell Tower victims forever

This is a touching move

The moving way London is planning to honour the Grenfell Tower victims forever
02 March 2018
Kensington and Chelsea council has announced that the site of Grenfell Tower will be turned into a memorial – and that survivors of the fire will be responsible for deciding how it is remembered. 

In a new document outlining the principles of the memorial, the council writes that an upcoming consultation will “lead towards agreement on a fitting memorial to remember those who lost their lives. 

“Kensington and Chelsea council, supported by the government, clearly state that they have no plans for the site and that the future of the site will be determined by the community.”

One suggestion from survivors group Grenfell United is that TfL renames Latimer Road underground station ‘Grenfell Station’ – which London Mayor Sadiq Khan has described as a ‘fitting tribute’ to victims of the fire.

“I’ve agreed to make sure that we start consultation as soon as possible to rename this station as a fitting tribute,” he told LBC. “It’s really important that we remember the awful fire, but also those fantastic residents that campaigned so hard since the fire to make sure that justice is done.

“The idea they had - and of course, we’ll consult others - is to rename the station Grenfell. It’s important we listen to local residents.” 

The report also promises that the site of the tower will not be redeveloped – and residents will be able to block any plans to do so. 

Latimer Road Station could be renamed Grenfell Station

Shahin Sadafi, chair of Grenfell United, said that the group welcomed the move.

“We’re pleased that eight months on from the fire we finally have agreement that the bereaved, survivors and community will be at the heart of deciding the legacy of the site,” he told the Guardian. “We hope working together to create a fitting memorial will be part of a healing process for everyone affected.

“The government and Kensington and Chelsea council have treated this issue with dignity and respect. We can only hope the government applies the same seriousness to our need for truth and justice at the inquiry, this includes listening to our requests for changes to ensure a thorough inquiry.

“Our door will always be open for genuine cooperation on substantive issues.”

The news comes just a week after Stormzy blasted the government’s treatment of the tragedy on stage at the BRITs.

He rapped during his performance: “Yo, Theresa May, where’s that money for Grenfell? You just forgot about Grenfell.

“You’re criminals, and you’ve got the cheek to call us savages, you should do some jail-time, you should pay some damages, we should burn your house down and see if you can manage this.”

(Images: Rex)