Londons Grenfell Tower, the site of a heinous inferno in 2017 which killed 72 people, and displaced hundreds more, is to be demolished, U.K.s deputy prime minister Angela Rayner said this week. The decision immediately sparked outrage among Grenfell United, a survivors group.Rayner told Grenfell survivors and bereaved family members that Grenfell Tower was to be knocked down at a meeting which took place yesterday, February 5. The announcement comes just months after the public inquiry into the fire concluded which attributed culpability to guilty parties responsible for the fire. Today, Grenfell is wrapped in a large tarp that conceals its macabre burn marks. A memorial design competition for the grounds surrounding Grenfell Tower to commemorate victims debuted last summer, as reported by AN.RIBA announced the memorial competition shortlist on January 21, just days before Rayner shared the British governments decision to demolish the tower.The five finalists in the memorial design competition include: Curl La Tourelle + Head Architecture, Freehaus, George King Architects x Grow to Know, New South, and Office Sian. A winner will be selected later this year, and construction is slated for completion in 2026.Justice for Grenfell protest poster (Garry Knight/Wikimedia Commons/CC BY 1.0)Plans to raze Grenfell Tower wereannounced in 2021. That year, Atkins, an engineering consultancy, issued a report stating the tower was unsafe and must come down. Shortly after, Grenfell United issued a statement announcing its opposition to the decision. Grenfell Next of Kin (GNK), another advocacy group, also fought against the demolition plan.Engineers, Rayner said this week, have determined Grenfell Tower is structurally unsound, so it must come down, although Grenfell United said Rayners rationale was shaky, and lacking in detail. Grenfell United said that they were not consulted in this decision to tear down the tower, a place the group harrowingly referred to as our loved ones gravesite. Weve said this to every Secretary of State for Housing since the very beginning: consult the bereaved and survivors meaningfully before reaching a decision on the Tower, Grenfell United said on social media. Angela Rayner could not give a reason for her decision to demolish the Tower. She refused to confirm how many bereaved and survivors had been spoken to in the recent, short four-week consultation. But judging from the room alonethe vast majority of whom were bereavedno one supported her decision. But she claims it is based on our views.Grenfell United continued: [Yesterdays] meeting showed just how upset bereaved and survivors are about not having their views heard or considered in this decision. Ignoring the voices of bereaved on the future of our loved ones gravesite is disgraceful and unforgivable.Grenfell Next of Kin admitted the group was disappointed by the decision, but said it acknowledged the British governments reasoning. Do we wish the whole tower could stand forever? Yes. Is that an option? Not from a structural point of view, GNK said.The Grenfell Public Inquiry concluded in September 2024, and guilt has been attributed, but nobody has been charged with any crimes yet. Charges are expected in late 2026.