A Freedom of Information (FOI) request to all councils, carried out by the Association of Play Industries (API), reveals that between 2014/15 and 2015/16, 214 playgrounds closed in England.
A lack of budget to maintain, repair or replace equipment were cited as the main reasons for the closures.
Since the removal of dedicated Government funding for playgrounds in 2010, and the closure of a Big Lottery scheme to develop play provision in 2011, provision and upkeep of play spaces has fallen on local authorities.
The figures, which are published in a new report by the API entitled Nowhere to Play, also reveal that local authorities plan to close a further 234 playgrounds between 2017 and 2019. A third of councils said they had yet to make plans.
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