Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to local authorities carried out by the Association of Play Industries (API) has revealed that 133 playgrounds have closed in the last two years.
In April 2017, the API’s Nowhere to Play report found that 214 playgrounds were closed between 2014-15 and 2015-16.
Recent updates to this data by local authorities, requested by the API, found that:
API chair Mark Hardy said, ‘A resource we all took for granted – safe, local and free space in which our children can play – is disappearing. Our latest research shows a very worrying picture indeed and, unless action is taken now, it seems we are in danger of losing playgrounds permanently. Let’s not forget that when a playground is neglected and closed it is often lost forever.
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