Council resists calls to extend ban on park BBQs

Camden Council has resisted campaigners' calls to permanently outlaw charcoal barbecues in Waterlow Park, after it imposed a temporary ban in April.

The temporary ban came after complaints of crowds of revellers with barbeques, fights, piles of rubbish and people defecating in bushes.

The Highgate Village Green Preservation Society (HVGPS) said "scorched earth, mounting rubbish, ash bins smoking like chimneys and a huge increase in road traffic" were hurting the local community, environment and wildlife.

Adam Harrison, from the north London council, said the park was originally created in 1889 as a "garden for the gardenless" and should remain accommodating.

The council has, however, left the current temporary BBQ ban in place due to the increased risk of wildfires in dry, hot weather.

According to the council's reports, the borough has the third-highest number of residents in the country without access to a private outdoor area.

Although the council has resisted a permanent ban, Mr Harrison said the current policies around barbeques were "constantly under review".

An online petition to end the smoky cookouts permanently was launched by HVGPS, and has about 1,500 supporters.

Volunteers for the Waterlow Park Trust have also joined calls for total prohibition.

Francis Wilkinson, chair of the trust's Barbecue Working Group, said: "What happened this year shows how Waterlow – the only public open space in London where people can use barbecues of any size – has become a victim of its own success."

However, although the group recognises there is a problem, it says it does not want to see a permanent ban on barbeques.

Council officers said the online petition, with they said had a "relatively low number of signatories versus residents", did not provide a full picture of the wider community's view.

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