The BBQ area in Burgess Park has been closed since the pandemic, but despite eight months of consultation with the community on how to reopen the space, they are still waiting for action.
In 2011, a permanent barbecue section was created in Burgess Park by Southwark Council, where people could barbecue and gather freely and safely.
Locals say the area was well-used and although there were some issues, such as ‘litter’ and a ‘lack of control’ – it was somewhere many people without gardens could enjoy being outdoors.
Amparo Rendon runs a woman’s football league in the park next to the barbeque space. “The area is populated by people who can’t afford to go to the beach in summer and don’t have gardens – so the space was used a lot by these communities,” she explained.
“It used to be so busy – there is nowhere else like it in Southwark.”
During the pandemic, like everywhere else, the area was closed and has never come back into use.
Amparo said although it wasn’t perfect, it would be wonderful to see it open again, “if there was a bit more control and organisation.”
And this is what appeared to happen, with the council agreeing to meet with the We Walworth group, made up of community members, to work ‘collaboratively’ to discuss the future of barbecuing in Burgess Park.
Richard Galpin, one of the key members of the group, said: “The BBQs came up as a distinct issue for helping to bring people back together after the pandemic. We’ve worked with the council but it has now stalled.”
He explained that even though people presented issues at the meetings, everyone agreed that people without gardens need a space.
Santiago Peluffo, co-director of Latin Elephant said to many, the park and BBQ area is an ‘extension of their doorstep.’
“Burgess Park’s BBQs are absolutely essential to working-class and minoritised communities who regularly hang out at the park; since we see a fusion of both public and private habits taking place in an open green space,” he said.
“To many, Burgess is an extension of their own doorstep due to the lack of green space in most of the flats surrounding Burgess Park.”
But despite eight months worth of consultation, there has been no progress and many said that with summer in full swing and the school holidays right around the corner, this is the perfect time to re-open the BBQ area.
Jess Hattam, who works for a sports charity based in the park, said she attended some of the consultation meetings. “It’s a complex issue – so during the meetings all bases were covered and solutions were suggested to all of the problems that people brought up,” she said.
“The litter, for example, has always been an issue – so more bins and staff were suggested, along with changing the location to somewhere further away from the pond.”
She explained that most discussions ultimately resulted in something that was going to cost money, which she claims was likely to be a reason for the delayed progress.
“It’s a question of resources – everything costs money but how do we support local infrastructure to benefit local people?”
Jess added: “There’s some amazing stuff about the space and overall, the communities’ views should be listened to and we should get an answer – especially because they are agreeing to work with the council here,” Jess added.
We questioned the council on whether there was any update on whether the area would reopen.
Councillor Catherine Rose, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, Leisure and Parks, said: “We have made the necessary decision to suspend all the fixed barbecue facilities at Burgess Park. This is consistent with disposable BBQs, which are not permitted in any of our parks. We understand that this may disappoint some park visitors, but our unwavering commitment lies in keeping our parks safe during high temperatures, reducing air pollution and minimising harmful waste in Southwark.
“Since the barbecue facilities were put in place over a decade ago, the council’s investment in Burgess Park has allowed us to create the much-needed extension of the new sports hub. We now need to find a balance between all these important park uses.
“We are working closely with the Walworth community and key park stakeholders to find long-term sustainable solutions. Their input has been invaluable in the extensive consultation carried out so far and we are all aligned in our desire to develop a vision for outdoor eating in Walworth.
“I’m confident that together we will develop a new community-oriented and environmentally considerate facility in the future”.
This week The Guardian published an opinion piece by another local resident on this topic which delves into the issue in depth.
