Planning work has begun for the development and design of a Grenfell Tower memorial, almost six years after the deadly fire killed 72 people.
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 be built on the site of the Grenfell Tower in North Kensington, west London.
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 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 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.
