The site of Grenfell Tower is to be handed over to the government from this autumn after residents reacted furiously to the original plan to give responsibility back to Kensington and Chelsea council.

The Metropolitan police are preparing to release the site of the disaster in west London, in which 71 people died, as a crime scene within days as their work at the tower comes to a close.

The U-turn comes after the Guardian revealed earlier this week that the site was to be handed back to the council, which owns the plot, despite huge local objections to it being involved in any future decisions on the tower.

Residents had been under the impression that the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) would set up an independent organisation to take on responsibility for the building once the police had left.



The site is expected to be turned into a memorial to those who died in last year’s fire after the council said this spring that it would put the community at the heart of decisions over its future and had no other plans for it.

Natasha Elcock, a survivor from Grenfell Tower and member of Grenfell United said: “It’s a significant moment for survivors and bereaved families to hear that police investigations at the tower are about to be complete.

“We are relieved that the government has listened to us and stepped in to make sure that RBKC will not be managing site and will have no involvement in any decisions about the site.

“It’s hard to put into words how personal what happens to the site is to all of us who used to live in the tower, lost loved ones in the fire and also for the wider the community.

“The people we lost that night will be forever in our hearts and it will be survivors, bereaved families and the community that will make decisions together about what happens to the site now and how we remember there the loved ones we lost.”

In a statement, MHCLG said: “The government has re-committed today to putting the Grenfell Tower bereaved, survivors and community at the heart of deciding what happens to the future of the site.

“As part of this, the government has announced it will take responsibility for the Grenfell Tower site. It will make operational decisions, such as on the site’s safety, security and access, until the future of the site has been determined by the community. A formal agreement will be finalised in the autumn.

“The Metropolitan police have said they are preparing to release the site as a crime scene. Ahead of this the government is announcing the next step on the journey to a fitting memorial.”

The site will continue to be managed on a day-to-day basis by the independent team which has been in place since the disaster. “This ensures the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea will continue to take no role in making decisions regarding the site,” the statement said.

“The land will be transferred to a body represented by the bereaved and survivors once an appropriate body has been established and the site has been made ready and available for future use.”

Plans for Grenfell’s future have been a source of anxiety for the bereaved, survivors and the local community. The tower is expected to be demolished. It is currently covered in white sheeting. Some locals even said they would like the burnt-out building to stay in place as a permanent memorial.

Council chiefs were understood to be unhappy about the decision to release Grenfell back to its control, even temporarily, as they believe that residents should lead the decision-making process through an independent body.



The council has spent the last year rebuilding relationships with residents after the disaster, and they remain fragile.