Stage 1 of the Environmental Checks - Community Consultation Events
Please see below and attached update from the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government regarding the environmental checks to be carried out on the estate.
In brief:
• AECOM has started work on delivering Stage 1 of the environmental checks – we expect this stage to take about three months from start to finish.
• There will be a variety of ways for the community to be involved, starting with consultation workshops on Thursday 25th and Saturday 27th April immediately after the upcoming school holidays.
• Further drop-in sessions are available over the coming weeks if you have any concerns or questions.
AECOM
Following their appointment, AECOM – the independent specialist contracted to undertake Stage 1 of the environmental checks – has now started their work.
You may see them – as well as other experts - in the local area as they start the surveying and testing. If you have any concerns about their presence, please contact us (details below).
Consultation Workshops
We committed that residents would be able to influence the design and implementation of the investigation, in particular to inform the scope and locations of the soil sampling.
We will be holding two identical workshops on different days to enable as many people as possible to attend. Please note these are drop in events and it will be the same information at both, so you only need to attend one.
These will be on:
Thursday 25th April - drop in anytime between 2.30pm and 7pm at Bay 20, 71 St Mark’s Road, London W10 6JG, and
Saturday 27th April - drop in anytime between 11am and 2pm, at Kensington Leisure Centre, Silchester Rd, London W10 6EX.
Please look out for the invitation with more details, which will be coming soon.
Members of the Science Advisory Group – providing independent scientific assurance - will also be attending the community workshops. This will give you the opportunity to speak to them about the science behind the environmental checks programme.
What happens next?
Stage 1 involves collating all relevant background information to identify the areas where the main stage of sampling should be undertaken. It will include background research, and also:
• Exploratory sampling in priority areas to test where to carry out the main investigation and informed by the consultation workshops.
• A walkover of the site, to survey the area. We have a limited number of spaces for residents to be able to observe this survey and will be asking community organisations to nominate attendees.
• Further community workshops at the end of Stage 1 to share the initial findings and seek views on the approach to Stage 2.
We will film the site walkover and exploratory sampling so that, if you are interested, you can watch it taking place on the Nextdoor website and app.
Further information
If you would like to speak to a member of the Government Project Team or NHS, we are continuing our weekly drop-in sessions at The Curve, Bard Road, every Tuesday afternoon.
During the school holidays, we will also be available at:
• Thursday 11th April - Bay 20, 71 St Mark's Road, W10 6JG between 2 – 6pm (joined by the Government Chief Scientific Adviser after 4pm).
• Saturday 13th April - Voices of Inspiration Easter Street Party, Powis Square, Notting Hill, W11 2BN.
• Thursday 18th April - Al-Manaar Muslim Cultural Heritage Centre, 244 Acklam Rd, London W10 5YG between 11am – 1pm.
Contact us
You can contact us by:
Email – environmental-checks@communities.gov.uk
Telephone – 0303 444 0078
For the most up-to-date information, you can download the Nextdoor app on iOS and Android devices or visit www.nextdoor.co.uk and search for Grenfell Community Updates - HM Government.
Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government
9 April 2019