Harry Howard acted as a consultant Landscape Architect for Lane Cove
Council for 20 years. He collaborated with staff, elected officials and
the community to create an informal public landscape of streetscapes,
reserves and shopping precincts reflecting the local Sydney sandstone
vegetation.
In
the 1970s he transformed what had been described as ‘dreary’ medium
level redevelopment at Lane Cove into an urban child-friendly bushland.
Existing vegetation had been cleared from the site while a few remnant
patches of bush existed along with vegetation strips along drainage
lines.
Significance:
The
landscape development at Lane Cove is significant because rather
than choosing an urban style for the setting for medium density housing
(including townhouses, villas and units), a re-created bushland
was deemed an appropriate setting for daily life. Rather than bush
being
confined to nature reserves and the periphery of society it was
deemed equal to civilized life.
Planting
of endemic species was encouraged in the new developments.
At Helen St, Lane Cove mature irregularly space indigenous Eucalyptus
grace the grassed verges. As well as creating a play of light and shade
and habitat for local wildlife they also act to screen the scale of the
surrounding built form.
In
some areas in Lane Cove streets were closed to provide neighbourhood
parklands used for informal recreation, play and community events.
Howard
created an informal reserve at Helen St, with the closing of where
today large eucalypts set in both lawn and shrub beds soar above
surrounding three storey buildings. The results of these ideas have
created a
highly
sought after suburban area.
A survey of practicing Landscape Architects carried out in 1999 indicated
Harry Howard as one of the influential practitioners working in NSW and
the ACT during the 1960s to 1980s.
Bull, C (2002) New conversations with an old landscape: landscape architecture in contemporary Australia Images Publishing Group:Victoria.
