Outdoor cooking trial in Burgess Park

Following extensive conversations with residents and other local groups, we've installed a new, trial electricity-powered outdoor cooking facility in Burgess Park. Come try out the cooking area, which contains three electric hotplates and four picnic benches. It is located on the corner of Wells Way and Albany Road, near the play area and Chumleigh Gardens’ almshouses.

The electric hotplates are open every day until 27 October, from 10am until dusk when the electricity will automatically switch off. Closing times are:

• October - closes at 7pm

This is a trial, and the future of outdoor cooking in Burgess Park depends on its success. Tell us what you think by completing our survey.

A report will be produced when the trial period ends, which is expected to be in the autumn.

Public engagement

We previously worked with the We Walworth Working Group, which comprised residents, people who work in local organisations, and local and central government. Together, a vision for outdoor cooking in Burgess Park has been developed.

Six Neighbourhood Welcome events have been held since June 2022. 

We talked to over 700 people from all over the neighbourhood and want to talk to as many people as possible.

The Working Group presented their findings at the Faraday Ward Forum meeting on 13 December 2022.

We Walworth ended in September 2023, and we are now working with Latin Elephant, Pembroke House and Inspire Walworth.

Next steps

We hope you enjoy using the cooking area over the summer.

Once the trial is complete and the report has been produced, we'll update this page to explain the next steps.

Email leisureprojects@southwark.gov.uk to join the mailing list, and keep updated about what happens next.

History of barbequing in Burgess Park

The Burgess Park barbeque area was hugely popular and successful, but not without problems.

While some loved the barbecues, they caused several issues for the park and local people. As a council, we must listen and respond to the community's and our partners' concerns.

It closed in March 2020 due to fire risk, poor air quality, and COVID-19 restrictions. After public engagement, it has now been removed.

Benefits of the previous barbeque area

The barbeque area was a great facility for local people, many of whom do not have private gardens. It was one of the few official public barbeque areas in London that offered the following benefits:

• access to outdoor cooking for local families
• social gatherings for families and small groups
• encouraging many different communities to visit the park
• offering an opportunity for different neighbourhoods and communities to come together and enjoy food
• offering an opportunity for communities to celebrate their culture through food

Problems with the previous barbeque area

When the barbecue area was open for use, there were also some challenges:

• hot, temporary barbeques were placed into bins which caused fires
• dry summers increase the risk of fire and we were asked to close the barbeque area by the Fire Brigade many times; the Fire Brigade has told us they support a full ban on charcoal barbecuing in public parks
• smoke from the barbeque area created harmful emissions; we need to improve the air quality in Southwark to protect children, people who have trouble with their breathing and everyone else
• the barbeque area attracted unlicensed events and illegal activity
• a large amount of litter was unmanageable and made the park look messy
• litter from the barbeque area used to blow into the lake and was difficult to remove and bad for wildlife
• nearby residents have complained about antisocial behaviour connected to the barbeque area

The future of barbequing in Burgess Park

If you’d like to keep updated about plans for the barbeque area, email leisureprojects@southwark.gov.uk.

Page last updated: 08 October 2024