Grenfell Tower victims to be permanently rehoused in two billion pound luxury Kensington apartment block

The British government has announced that the Grenfell Tower fire survivors will be rehoused permanently in a two billion pound luxury apartment block in Kensington.

According to Sajid Javid, the communities secretary, around 68 flats which comprise of one, two and three bedroom flats have been bought at the Kensington Row Development by the government.

The Grenfell Tower disaster left 79 dead and many homeless.

These properties are newly built social housing where private homes are offered from £1,575,000 to £8.5m. They offer a 24 hour resident caretaker and even a private cinema, states the website of developer St Edward.



“Expectation is that these new properties will be offered as one of the options to permanently rehouse residents from Grenfell Tower,” said The Department for Communities and Local Government.

“Extra public money has been found to fit out the flats more quickly, and the developer has taken on more staff and relaxed working hours rules with the aim of having the homes ready by the end of July,” the DCLG further added.

This decision was taken after the survivors and families of victims expressed anger at the official response to the deadly blaze.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Queen announced an independent public advocate to help bereaved families after major disasters during her speech.

“We’ve got to start by finding each of them a home. Somewhere safe and supportive, close to their friends and the places they know, so they can start to rebuild their lives. We will work night and day to get these homes ready,” said Tony Pidgley, the Berkeley Group chairman.

A deal was brokered by the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) and the homes were purchased by the City of London Corporation in two housing blocks.

“The agency stands ready to help all those affected by this terrible incident. We are identifying suitable properties in the local area to rehouse residents as quickly as possible, as well as offering support to local authorities to run checks on any high-rise buildings,” said HCA chairman Sir Edward Lister.

“We will do everything in our power to help those whose lives have been blighted by this horrendous fire and reassure those who live in similar buildings that their homes are safe,” he further added.

Last week, the labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn said that empty homes near the scene of the fire should be requisitioned to house families.

After the disaster, Theresa May, the Prime Minister was told to scrap the government’s approach to deregulation of health and safety legislation by more than 70 health and safety organisations.



“We are ready to do everything we can to help the victims of the terrible fire at Grenfell Tower. We already provide council housing across seven London boroughs and are committed to delivering 3,700 new homes on sites across the capital. These plans are being discussed and agreed in principle as matter of urgency as part of the response by councils across London to support the team working on recovery efforts,” said City of London Corporation spokesperson.

This article originally appeared on The Independent