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London fire: Flats acquired for Grenfell Tower survivors | |
(35 minutes later) | |
Survivors of London's Grenfell Tower fire are to be rehomed in a luxury housing development in the heart of Kensington, the government has said. | |
Sixty-eight one, two and three-bedroom flats have been acquired at the Kensington Row development, it added. | |
The apartments are "newly built social housing" in a complex where the price of private homes starts at £1.5m. | |
At least 79 people died and many more were left homeless after fire engulfed the North Kensington tower a week ago. | |
There was widespread criticism and anger from residents at the slow and chaotic official response to the devastating blaze. | |
'Rebuild lives' | |
The upmarket Kensington Row complex includes a 24-hour concierge service and a private cinema, the website of developer St Edward's says. | |
Each new home will be fully furnished, and the government says will be completed to a high-specification. | |
The flats are expected to be completed by the end of July. | |
It is unclear whether the new tenants from Grenfell will have access to the same facilities as those in the private properties, some of which cost as much as £8.5m. | |
The Department for Communities and Local Government said extra public money had been found so the flats could be fitted out more quickly, and more builders had been taken on. | |
It said the "expectation was that these new properties would be offered as one of the options to permanently rehouse residents from Grenfell Tower". | |
Communities Secretary Sajid Javid said Grenfell residents had been through "some of the most harrowing and traumatic experiences imaginable". | |
"Our priority is to get everyone who has lost their home permanently rehoused locally as soon as possible, so that they can begin to rebuild their lives," he added. |