Andrea, posted on 2024.06.25
Hello there
I was soo pleased seeing this idea in the
park,we have been tested it Sunday,it was
great.We are a big family living in apartment so
for us to fo a bbq is very hard, bow that is
allowed anywhere anymore. This is a perfect
place to do birthday parties,l am soo happy that
something like have been in Dublin.Please put
in more locations. Thank you
Derek Bullock, posted on 2024.07.17
I think this is a great idea, adds value to public
spaces. Well done for proposing this.
Sylvia Power, posted on 2024.07.17
This is a fantastic idea and should be rolled out
elsewhere. It will hopefully stop illegal BBQ
fires, and as long as there are plenty of bins,
there should be no trace left behind. Bunting
Park in Walkinstown would be an excellent
place to next trial this.
Andrei Visinoae, posted on 2025.05.23
I want to commend Dublin City Council on the
CooktopBETA initiative. This is a beautiful
example of public service that goes beyond
infrastructure—it touches on dignity, equity, and
belonging.
For many, the lack of private outdoor space can
be isolating. Offering a free, clean, and safe
way to cook outdoors invites those people back
into public life. It says, "You belong here too."
There's also a deep environmental ethic in the
use of electric cooktops, reducing smoke and
fire risk in our parks. But even more, this project
helps reconnect people, fostering community in
a gentle, natural way.
This is the kind of civic innovation that makes a
city feel like home. Let's support it and
encourage expansion.
Leo, posted on 2025.05.27
I fully support the idea of encouraging outdoor BBQ
culture in Dublin's parks... but replacing charcoal BBQs
with electric models feels like a short-sighted and overly
cautious move... especially in a city that should be
fostering real community interaction, not managing it like
a liability...
A permanent, well-designed charcoal BBQ—built from
brick or stone, with proper ash disposal and signage—
can actually be safer and more cost-effective long-term
than electrical appliances which are prone to weather
damage, misuse, and higher maintenance costs...
Look at Singapore or Vancouver where designated
charcoal BBQ stations in public spaces are common and
abundant ... even in urban and residential areas with
high fire risk... It works because local councils trust the
public, provide clear safety protocols, and design spaces
that invite responsibility rather than assume
recklessness...
What's missing here is balance... instead of banning
open flame entirely, why not set up responsible BBQ
zones with proper infrastructure, waste disposal, and
maintenance? Isn't that a better model than trialing
electric devices that people neither asked for nor truly
enjoy using?
The DCC's heavy-handedness with public space has
been building for years-closing off natural usage,
fencing off joy, micromanaging people's behavior instead
of enabling shared culture... What people want isn't
rebellion, it's reliability... to know they can show up to a
park in summer with friends, find a BBQ place, cook in
the open air, and feel like they're home in their own city...
We need to stop treating citizens like hazards and start
trusting them like stakeholders... That means investing in
permanent, low-maintenance, communal infrastructure
that enhances life, not just manages risk...
Dublin deserves public spaces that are built to last... not
managed like temporary liabilities...
Please reconsider. love Dublin
Some of the comments about #CooktopBETA at https://dccbeta.ie/project/article/CooktopBETA
