In the last couple of years, Lane Cove Council has lifted its game when it comes to playground construction and upgrading parks and playgrounds.
Lane Cove demographics show there is a need for playgrounds in Lane Cove. The Australian Bureau of Statistics 2016 census data identified that over 18% of the 36,051 residents of Lane Cove were children aged between 0-14.
There are 48 parks and playgrounds in the Lane Cove Council area with most residents living within 400m of a playground.
Lane Cove has one playground for every 750 residents. The median provision for local government areas is between one for every 1,000 to 2,000 residents. The very high level of provision of play equipment in Lane Cove is the result of past practices of providing a playground within walking distance of each residence.
By contrast, neighbouring North Sydney Council has 35 (approx. one playground for every 1933 resident), Willoughby 44 (approx. one playground for every 1688 resident) and Hunters Hill 11 playgrounds (approx. one playground for every 1200 resident).
The play equipment varies from a simple swing set to a small number of district-level playgrounds with a diverse range of equipment and facilities.
Lane Cove Council’s vision is to provide well designed, sustainable and fun play environments for young people and their carers with a diverse range of quality, fun, accessible, well designed and maintained playgrounds that assist children’s physical, cognitive, social and emotional development as well as serving as community focal points that encourage interaction, understanding and community wellbeing.
The most significant changes since the council adopted its last playground strategy is an increase in replacement costs.
Lane Cove Council’s Playground Vision
Lane Cove Council’s playground vision is:
- Safe and well maintained.
- Designed to a high standard with diverse approaches and interesting, stimulating and fun play value.
- Designed and located to compliment, enhance and celebrate the unique qualities of each park location.
- Equitably distributed throughout Lane Cove and be accessible and inviting settings within a 15-minute walk of each household.
- Accessible to children with disabilities, their families and carers where the topography lends itself, and the hierarchy determines.
- Environmentally sustainable with suitably durable and cost-effective materials and processes.
- Inclusive of supporting amenities such as seating, paths, shade trees and bubblers.
- Inclusive of integrated artwork (where achievable) which adds value to the play experience.
- Inclusive of community ideas on their design and siting.
- Designed to be readily repaired and maintained.
Three Levels of Playgrounds In Lane Cove
District Playgrounds
There are five district playgrounds in Lane Cove:
• Blackman Park picnic area
• Bob Campbell Oval (proposed playground relocation with sportsfield upgrade)
• Hughes Park
• Mindarie Park
• The Canopy
Neighbourhood Playgrounds
Neighbourhood playgrounds are intermediate, second-tier playgrounds, with activities to cater for a broad range of children and carers. Because of their size, they can be designed to attract an older age group who require greater complexity, as well as for the younger children.
Neighbourhood playgrounds can often be associated with other supporting and complementary facilities such as sports fields and activities for older children such as rebound walls and basketball/netball hoops.
They are generally located on medium to large reserves, and distributed as equitably as possible, depending on reserve size and location. Associated picnic facilities are usually limited to a bubbler, picnic benches and seating as it is anticipated visitors will generally use these areas for short to medium periods (around 1 to 2 hours).
Most visitors are within walking distance of their own homes (around 800 m or a 15 to 20- minute walk) so additional facilities, such as toilets, are not essential.
Facilities such as picnic tables and barbeques are generally only considered for neighbourhood playgrounds where playgrounds are in a reserve with other facilities such as sports fields and toilets.
Fences may be installed if the playground is close to a busy road.
There are 14 neighbourhood playgrounds in Lane Cove.
• Bill Bryan Playground at Kingsford Smith Oval
• Burns Bay Reserve
• Charlish Park
• Cullen Street Playground
• Helen Street Reserve
• Henley Playground
• Henningham Playground
• Kimberley Playground
• Leemon Reserve
• Longueville Park
• Marjorie York Park
• Newlands Park
• Stringybark Reserve
• Tambourine Park
Local playgrounds
Local playgrounds are small scale, third tier, junior playgrounds, generally catering for children less than seven years of age.
They have easily accessed playgrounds catering for the local community.
Most of the visitors to these playgrounds are local residents living within a 5 to 15- minute easy walk from their homes, approximately 400 – 500 metres.
These playgrounds may be located on any size reserve.
Some of these local playgrounds have a swing set as their only play equipment.
Rubber surfacing is restricted in local playgrounds to high wear areas only (e.g. rubber pads under swings) as it is costly. Associated park facilities are generally limited to a bubbler and park seating as it is anticipated visitors will typically use these areas for short periods, less than an hour.
Fences may be installed if the playground is on a busy road.
Local Lane Cove Playgrounds
The Local playgrounds are listed below:
Greenwich Playgrounds
Greenwich Baths Albert St Greenwich
Bayview Park Bay St Greenwich
Carlotta St Playground Carlotta St Greenwich
Shell Park Greenwich Rd Greenwich (to be decommissioned)
Henningham Playground Kings Langley Rd Greenwich
Leemon Reserve Robert St Greenwich
Brickhill Playground Ronald Ave Greenwich
Bob Campbell Oval Greenwich
St Vincents Rd Greenwich St Vincents Rd Playground St Vincents Rd Greenwich (to be decommissioned)
Lane Cove Playgrounds (ie located in central area of Lane Cove)
Best St Reserve Best St Lane Cove
Nicholls Reserve Burns Bay Rd Lane Cove
Charlish Park Centennial Ave Lane Cove
Finlayson Playground Centennial Ave Lane Cove
Cox’s Lane Playground Cox’s Lane Lane Cove
Kimberley Playground Kimberley Ave Lane Cove
Pottery Green Little St Lane Cove
Sydney Cowell Reserve Marsh Place Lane Cove
Osborne Park Playgrounds
Osborne Park Osborne Lane Lane Cove
Lane Cove North Playgrounds
Djanaba Nara Mowbray Rd Lane Cove North
Helen Street Reserve Helen St Lane Cove North
Mindarie Park Mindarie St Lane Cove North
Stringybark Reserve Murray St Lane Cove
North Goodlet Reserve Stokes St Lane Cove
North Tantallon Oval Tantallon Rd Lane Cove
Lane Cove West Playground
North Alder Ave Playground Alder Ave Lane Cove West
Cullen St Playground Cullen St Lane Cove West
Blackman Park tennis courts Lloyd Rees Drive Lane Cove West
Blackman Park at Penrose St Penrose St Lane Cove West
Linley Point Playground
Garraway Lookout The Crescent Linley Point
Longueville Playground
Griffith Park Dunois St Longueville
Central Park Kenneth St Longueville
Bill Bryan Playground Kenneth St Longueville
Aquatic Park Mary St Longueville
Shaw Playground New St Longueville Longueville
Park Stuart St Longueville Woodford Bay Park
Deborah Hutchens Playground Stuart St Longueville
Northwood Playground
Woodford St Longueville Endeavour Playground Fleming St Northwood
Lloyd Rees Park Northwood Rd Northwood
Riverview Playground
Marjorie York Park Tambourine Bay Rd Riverview
106 Tambourine Bay Rd Tambourine Bay Rd
St Leonards (part of Lane Cove Council) Playground
Riverview Newlands Park Canberra Ave St Leonards
Propsting Playground River Rd St Leonards
In The Cove New Features
In The Cove is now producing a weekly Lane Cove Property Guide – your one-stop shop to buy in Lane Cove. See our latest guide here.
If you are selling, make sure your agent advertises in our property guide. You will be supporting ITC and advertising to a targetted Lane Cove audience.
