The government has announced it will follow Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, in banning segregated play spaces in all new housing developments across England.

James Brokenshire, the minister for communities, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that he was appalled by the examples of segregation he had seen and linked the issue to wider concerns about “poor doors”.

He said developers and housing associations should open spaces up in estates that are currently segregated. “My call to anyone who is managing or owns a building of this kind is: change the arrangements if there is a sense of segregation,” he said.

There was outrage across the political spectrum earlier this year at the case of the Lilian Baylis estate in Kennington. Guardian Cities reported that families living in the social housing side of the estate were not allowed to use the play area or any communal spaces on the development.

On Friday the Guardian revealed that that the new London plan, which sets out how developers and local authorities can plan new housing, will outlaw any segregation by tenure.

Under the new policy developments, where there are a mix of tenures – private owners alongside “affordable” housing including shared ownership and social rented accommodation – developers will no longer be allowed to build play areas that are accessible only to people in the most expensive properties.

Brokenshire told the BBC he wants to end all forms of segregation in housing. “It is very firmly my position that we should not have this sense of stigma and segregation because of the nature of the home you live in. These cases that have been brought to our attention – whether it is playgrounds or the concept of a poor door – where your access to a building is determined by your ownership, this cannot be right.

“We need to ensure planning and national rules that are there are properly upheld and understood.”

Campaigners say the new policy has not fully resolved the problem because it will have no impact on estates that have already been built or are in development.

In March people across the UK reported segregation on their estates.

In Greenwich, families in social and affordable housing on the Seren Park Gardens estate failed to gain access to a gated podium play space.

This week, Emma, who lives in social rented accommodation and has three children, was bringing two toddlers out to play in the car park, 100 metres from the locked playground.

Emma and her neighbours feel that the affordable homes were built to meet a target but then put in a separate building so they wouldn’t have to be given access to communal spaces.

She said: “We are the 20% affordable, aren’t we? They’ve just shoved us all in one block and given us nothing. It would be nice if there was somewhere to meet our neighbours, somewhere all the children could play together.”

To get permission to build, developers must provide a certain percentage of affordable homes. All the accommodation in the block that does not have playground access is classed as affordable. The first five floors are social housing and the rest shared ownership, with buyers paying reduced rent to the housing association, Moat Homes.

Emma’s neighbour Rachael, who brings her five-year-old and one-year-old out to play on their scooters among the cars, said the residents felt discriminated against. She said: “If that is their playground, then where is ours?”

Moat Homes said: “They are separate developments and all residents … have access to the amenities within their particular developments.” However, marketing and sales material describes the blocks as forming a single development and documents promising a play area as part of planning permission.

Alan Camp Architects, who won an Evening Standard award for best large mixed-tenure development for their involvement in the site, refused to comment. Cllr Sizwe James, cabinet member for growth and strategic development at Greenwich council, said councils did not have enough power to force access.

James said: “When the development plans were submitted, the developer did not indicate that the amenity areas would be segregated, nor a gate placed at the entrance to the communal garden with fob access. We are very disappointed that residents are being excluded … however, we do not have any powers to force the developers to allow them access.”