Grenfell Tower Oct 2025: deconstruction, monitoring
This month’s official update confirms how the government and its contractors are starting to take down Grenfell Tower with care, and how dust, noise and vibration are being checked and reported. If you live, work or study nearby, this guide explains what’s happening and where to get help. The update was published on 29 October 2025 on GOV.UK.
In September, the site team were working on “Sequence 2”, which means carefully dismantling the building from around the 24th floor (about 67m high) down to around the 12th floor (about 35m). Work continues behind the white shroud so activity is less visible from the street.
How the tower is being taken down matters. Government summaries and industry coverage describe a top‑down approach, with a crane installed to the east of the tower, an additional scaffold platform, and large elements lowered in covered containers while smaller parts are removed from inside. This helps control dust and noise and keeps the process shielded.
Deconstruct UK is the principal contractor on site. The government reappointed the firm because of its long experience working at the tower since 2017, and later broadened the contract to include planned deconstruction. This was set out in procurement notices in April 2025.
Air quality is being checked by five monitors around the hoarding. They track PM10 and PM2.5-tiny particles that can affect breathing. Triggers are set so that any spike prompts an explanation and, if needed, action. In September, short PM2.5 and PM10 alerts were recorded, many outside working hours and linked to fog or off‑site activity. Monthly reports explain why alerts happened and what the team did in response.
Noise is monitored by three Class 1 instruments on the boundary. The current limits for this phase use two checks: a one‑hour “amber” alert and a 10‑hour “red” action level. For 1–28 September 2025, no amber or red exceedances were recorded at any of the three positions, according to the official monthly report.
Vibration is measured as Peak Particle Velocity (PPV) in millimetres per second. The site uses a cautious tiered system: green (pre‑warning), amber (investigate) and red (act). September data shows some amber and a few red alerts, often traced to plant moving close to sensors or accidental disturbance of equipment; monitors were then repositioned to prevent repeat triggers.
Alongside the site monitors, the UK Health Security Agency continues independent air‑quality reporting for the area. UKHSA’s page was last updated on 24 October 2025 and provides weekly snapshots and plain‑English explanations of what the measurements mean for health.
To make information accessible, the October community update is available in 12 languages: Amharic, Arabic, Bengali, Farsi, Italian, Portuguese, Somali, Spanish, Tagalog, Tigrinya, Urdu and Vietnamese, alongside English. If you need a translation of the monitoring reports, you can email the team to request one.
Wellbeing support is available throughout the works. You can call the Grenfell Wellbeing Service on 020 8637 6279 (8am–8pm, every day) or the CNWL single point of access on 0800 0234 650 (24/7). You can also email grenfell.wellbeingservice@nhs.net. Local NHS pages list wider services if you need ongoing help.
If you have a question about the works, you can speak with officials and the principal contractor one‑to‑one or in a small group at a time and place that feels comfortable. You can also sign up for regular email updates. To start that conversation or request translated material, contact GrenfellTowerSite@communities.gov.uk.
For classrooms and curious readers: PM10/PM2.5 are particle sizes measured in micrograms per cubic metre; LAeq is the average sound level over time; PPV shows ground vibration as a speed. Alerts do not always mean harm-weather and non‑site activity can briefly push numbers up. Monthly reports explain each alert and the follow‑up, which is a good way to practise data literacy together.