They are a lifeline for parents: somewhere affordable where children can exercise and play. But as soft play centres prepare to reopen on Saturday, industry experts have warned that many will shortly close their doors for good because of new government regulations. Janice Dunphy, chair of the British Association of Leisure Parks, Piers and Attraction’s family entertainment centres’ committee, has said she is considering resigning over guidance issued by the government under Balppa’s name but without consultation over a crucial additional section. “We consulted with the government over the guidance and were happy with the version we had all agreed. But when they released it last night, it contained this extra regulation which we had no knowledge of,” said Dunphy. “This single section is going to lead to the closure of hundreds of soft play centres,” she added. “It’s a slow death for our industry. There’s no way we can survive this new regulation.” The controversial section in the operational guidance for England concerns ventilation in the centres. To achieve sufficient air flow to protect customers from infection from Covid-19, it states: “The maximum occupancy of each indoor facility should be limited by providing a minimum of 100 sq ft per person.” Paul Kelly, the chief executive of Balppa, said that the regulation at issue, which he only saw a few hours before it was publicly released by the government, was inserted by Public Health England (PHE). “We’re not ventilation experts and so we knew that PHE would be putting their expertise about the issue into the guidance, and that their input would be non-negotiable,” he said. “We will now put this guidance out to our members and, if any sticking points emerge, will go back to government and ask if there’s any movement possible.” Andrew Newton, owner of Twiggy’s Play in North Yorkshire, said the new guidances means his centre can only take 20% of his pre-pandemic number of paying customers. “This is utterly devastating. It’s madness and it will be unsustainable for soft play centres across the country,” he said. “I’d be better off if I changed the name of my business to the Dog and Duck, and reopened as a pub that welcomes children because then these regulations wouldn’t apply.” Dunphy estimates that 40 soft play centres have closed since lockdown, with the new guidelines meaning that up to three-quarters of Balppa’s 900 membership could close by October. Maria Cantarella, owner of Eddie Catz soft play centres, the first national operator in the UK, has said the new regulations are the last straw for her business. “I’ve decided to call time on the company I’ve been running for 15 years rather than have time called on me,” she said. “This industry runs on already very small margins. Profits simply cannot be generated in this climate.” Rachel Howard, who owned a small, independent soft play area called Goose in Harrogate, went into liquidation last month. “We had to close because of overhead costs,” she said. “But even had we not, this guidance would have been the end of us. It is completely unviable to operate under these new restrictions.” A spokesperson for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport said: “The government will continue to engage closely with the sector to support them.” PHE declined to comment.