The business of children’s play: spaces of empowerment? Of control? Of social exclusion

In recent years, private sector provision of young children's leisure spaces has grown at an exponential rate. Recent developments include restaurants adding-on children's play areas to their facility (e.g. Whitbread's Brewers Fayre), retail outlets creating play zones within their stores (e.g. Kids HQ at Lewis's), the growth of uni-purpose indoor adventure playgrounds (e.g Alphabet Zoos), the opening of theme parks specifically for young children (e.g. Gullivers parks) and the recent formation of Family Leisure Centres with designated childrens play areas (e.g. First Leisure). The scale and context of provision for children has been transformed.