Explore Play Wales
Fields in Trust (FIT) has published the latest results from its annual Green Space Index (GSI). This is a data tool that tracks the availability and accessibility of parks, playgrounds, playing fields and green spaces across Great Britain.
The 2026 findings show that some areas of Great Britain have high levels of public park access, higher-than-average green space provision per person, or growing numbers of legally protected spaces, while others fall short – deepening existing health and social inequalities.
In Gwynedd, almost a quarter of residents (23%) do not live within a 10-minute walk of a publicly accessible park, despite the area being very rural and having double the green space provision per person than the average for Great Britain.
The findings also show that 12% of people in Wales and 9% of people in Scotland do not have 10-minute walking access to a public green space, compared to England’s average of 8%.
Fields in Trust said:
‘Freely accessible parks, playgrounds, playing fields and green spaces are essential to healthy, happy communities. We must both legally protect existing recreational green space and create new high-quality parks to prevent deepening inequality and keep pace with housing targets and population changes, ensuring communities will feel their benefits for generations to come.’