By Ben Kerrigan-
Planning work has begun for the development and design of a Grenfell Tower memorial, almost six years after the deadly fire killed 72 people, with CCTV cameras installed on the site.
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) is organising early planning work alongside the independent Grenfell Tower Memorial Commission, which represents those affected by the tragedy.
A memorial will also be built on the site of the Grenfell Tower in North Kensington, west London.
The cameras will be installed from Monday May 8. Pedestrian and vehicle data will be collected over Thursday to Sunday continuously over a 24-hour period for around a week.
Traffic data is being collected from the site of the Grenfell Tower using CCTV cameras so authorities can better plan for visitors to the memorial site.
Pedestrian, cyclist and driver patterns will be collected using CCTV cameras at 16 locations around the tower site, including streets close to Kensington Aldridge Academy.
The data will be analysed to better understand travel patterns for commuting, school and leisure purposes.
The data will inform “how people could best access the future memorial site, and move around the area that surrounds it”, the DLUHC said on Tuesday.
“Evaluating how local streets and public spaces are used will also provide information on how links from important destinations – including underground stations, community buildings, shops, places of worship and schools – to the future memorial site should be strengthened.”
A study is also being carried out of public transport infrastructure in the local areas.
“This data will be used by the Memorial Commission, including their design advisor and future design team, to help inform the future memorial planning and design of a memorial.
“The information will be used to develop design options that will enable people to travel as they need to around the area, as well as to access and move around the future memorial itsel
The cameras will be installed from Monday May 8. Pedestrian and vehicle data will be collected over Thursday to Sunday continuously over a 24-hour period for around a week.
The work itself will be carried out by Tracsis, a specialist provider of transport surveys, analytics and traffic management. Tracsis has passed all due diligence checks.
The data will be analysed to better understand travel patterns for commuting, school and leisure purposes.
The data will inform “how people could best access the future memorial site, and move around the area that surrounds it”, the DLUHC said on Tuesday.
“Evaluating how local streets and public spaces are used will also provide information on how links from important destinations – including underground stations, community buildings, shops, places of worship and schools – to the future memorial site should be strengthened.”
A study is also being carried out of public transport infrastructure in the local areas.
“This data will be used by the Memorial Commission, including their design advisor and future design team, to help inform the future memorial planning and design of a memorial.
“The information will be used to develop design options that will enable people to travel as they need to around the area, as well as to access and move around the future memorial itself.”
The Grenfell Tower Memorial Commission first met in September 2019 to ensure that bereaved families, survivors and North Kensington residents “lead decision-making” on the future of the Grenfell Tower site.
A report published in May 2022 by the group said that having a garden as part of the memorial was popular among victims’ families, survivors and local residents.
Artwork or a monument were also popular ideas, with the report suggesting the memorial could be a combination of these.
On the fifth anniversary of the tragedy, in June last year, the Duke and Duchess of Wales met with mourners at the site.
Planning for the memorial comes as around 900 affected families agree to a settlement, with a sum of about £150 million in compensation.
The details of the settlement of civil damages were outlined at the High Court in London on Tuesday.
Court listings indicated that a council – Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea – was one of a number of defendants in the litigation.
A long-running public inquiry, chaired by Sir Martin Moore-Bick, is looking into the circumstances leading up to and surrounding the blaze.
Social Inequalities
The Grenfell Tower disaster was a stark reminder of the social inequalities that persist in modern-day Britain. The residents of Grenfell Tower were predominantly from low-income and immigrant backgrounds, and their concerns about the safety of the building had been ignored by local authorities for years.
The tragedy also highlighted the failure of government and regulatory bodies to ensure the safety of residents in social housing. The Grenfell Tower fire was caused by a faulty refrigerator in one
The installation of CCTV cameras in Grenfell Tower is part of a wider effort to improve safety and security in the building. Other measures that have been implemented include the installation of fire safety systems and the replacement of the building’s cladding.
However, many residents and community groups continue to call for greater accountability for the Grenfell Tower tragedy. Despite multiple investigations and inquiries, no one has been held accountable for the failures that led to the fire and the loss of 72 lives.
In order to achieve accountability, many have called for for a public inquiry into the Grenfell Tower disaster. Such an inquiry would have the power to compel witnesses to testify and to make recommendations for legal action against those responsible for the tragedy. It is hoped that such an inquiry would bring some measure of justice and closure for the victims and their families.
A report about the details is due sometime this year, with a huge compensation aleeady agreed for many of the family relatives.
The installation of CCTV cameras in Grenfell Tower is a step towards improving safety and security in the building, but it does not address the underlying issues of accountability and justice for the tragedy that occurred there. Until those responsible for the Grenfell Tower disaster are held accountable, the wounds caused by the tragedy will continue to fester, and the lessons learned from it will go unheeded.