Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2022L00620:body:0:p69
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2022L00620
Segment Type: other
Provision Reference: 
Character Range: 188594–191578

the building which was both responsive to the function and presentation of the office site, and integrated into the formal systems of the broader Parliamentary Triangle landscape.  The strategy deployed by Charles Weston leaned heavily on dense tree plantings deployed on formal lines to achieve an immediate visual and environmental impact, with some expectation that these initial plantings would be thinned over time through attrition and active management.
Within that formal structure, the original plantings were highly diverse, including a variety of exotic deciduous and coniferous trees which, when used in alternation and opposition, contributed a rhythm and texture to the large-scale urban reforesting effort that was being undertaken.  The species diversity also responded to the experimental nature of the project that was being undertaken, testing the suitability of a variety of available exotic trees to the local climate and ground conditions at Canberra.  Some failure and redundancy within the plant selections and the planting organisation was anticipated.
Partly as a consequence of those design decisions, the original planting treatment at West Block, while altered and reduced, remains discernible.  While throughout the site there is a need for regeneration and repair, aspects of the formal planting system remain, including some of the formal arrangements of trees defining vistas and intersections, and the rows of mixed specimen trees defining boundaries and edges.  Where trees have been replaced and new plantings added, these have generally been selected sympathetically and located within the structural parameters set in the original planting.  The introduction of new native plantings to the east of West Block in the 1980s is also consistent with Weston's 1920s vision for Camp Hill.
There are 81 trees within Block 3, Section 23 Parkes (part).  As assessed in June 2018, a number of the trees which constitute the formal landscape of Zone 1 are in poor health and demonstrate symptoms of stress and decline.[120]  This is not unexpected for exotic trees approaching 80-100 years of age in an urban environment and subject to the climate conditions and variations prevalent in Canberra.  Trees around the integral car park at the west of Block 3, Section 23 Parkes (part) have also been identified as exhibiting issues consistent with the consequences of soil compaction.[121]
This is an aging landscape which, despite previous modifications and the loss of a substantial fraction of its original tree plantings, retains much of its original planted structure and intended character.  The West Block plantings also remain important to the continuity of the formal landscape of the Parliamentary Triangle.

5.0                    CONSERVATION POLICIES AND MANAGEMENT GUIDELINES
This conservation policy is based on the assessment of cultural significance at Chapter 4 and informed by the opportunities and constraints identified at Chapter 5.

5.1