"A broad consensus" has been reached to rebuild the spire of the Notre-Dame Cathedral in the French capital as it was before the blaze in April last year, Minister of Culture Roselyne Bachelot told France Inter radio on Thursday, adding that the final decision belongs to President Emmanuel Macron.

Her comments came hours before France's National Heritage and Architecture Commission (CNPA), made up of experts, architects and elected officials, was to meet and give its verdict on the procedures for the reconstruction of the roof and the spire of the building, destroyed during the fire of April 15, 2019.

Macron had previously mentioned that a contemporary architectural design might be envisaged to replace the 19th century spire since it was not part of the original cathedral. He pledged that the cathedral will be restored by 2024, in time for the Paris Olympics.

Current work on the site, focusing on the removal of the damaged scaffolding for restoration installed before the fire, has been plagued by weather delays, sanitary concerns over lead pollution and most recently the coronavirus pandemic. 

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