Sherbrooke’s Alfred Nicholas Memorial Gardens could be protected under the state’s heritage list after an application to amend the registration of the Burnham Beeches property was submitted by Heritage Victoria earlier this year.
The Burnham Beeches estate – which the gardens surround – was recognised as a place of state-level significance in 1991.
But the gardens, which were part of the initial estate purchased by Alfred Nicholas in 1926 and developed between 1929 and 1937, were not included.
In June 2023, it was announced the Trenerry Consortium – represented by The Victor Smorgon Group, The Kanat Group and Trenerry Property – had received the go ahead for its masterplan to build a $100 million redevelopment in partnership with wellness and sustainability hospitality operator Six Senses.
Burnham Beeches has sat vacant for 36 year after several attempts to revamp the estate – including a push by celebrity chef Shannon Bennett and business partner Adam Garrison to turn the site into a restaurant and retail complex.
The Department of Transport and Planning confirmed that Heritage Victoria submitted an application to the Heritage Council of Victoria on 16 February 2023 to amend the registration of the Heritage Council in order to clarify the relationship between the Burnham Beeches complex and the gardens – which were historically a centrepiece of the estate.
The inclusion of the gardens on the Victorian Heritage Register will ensure its protection and conservation in accordance with the Heritage Act 2017.
It is also recommended that the estate be named ‘Burnham Beeches and the Alfred Nicholas Memorial Gardens’ to reflect the change to the registration, and will include the estate’s original entrance from Sherbrooke Road, which is currently outside the registered extent.
The entrance has retained its early ornamental gates, constructed from dry volcanic stone, according to the application.
It is not set to result in any impact to the development at Burnham Beeches – which Heritage Victoria issued a permit for in April 2023.
Although ownership of the Alfred Nicholas Memorial Gardens was transferred to the Shire of Sherbrooke in 1965, the gardens have continued to be used in conjunction with the Burnham Beeches estate for over 80 years.
In the council’s recommendation, the executive director argued the current extent of registration does not “adequately reflect the aesthetic cultural heritage values of the Burnham Beeches estate”.
“The design and construction of the eastern gardens (the Alfred Nicholas Memorial Gardens) was an ambitious landscaping feat, involving the creation of a massive terraced rockery descending into an ornamental lake and the planting of specimen trees,” the application reads.
“While specimen plantings were also a key feature of the gardens immediately surrounding the Burnham Beeches mansion, these plantings have largely been replaced. The concentration of early landscaping elements is now primarily discernible within the Alfred Nicholas Memorial Gardens.”
The amendment is set to ensure that all change within the gardens is managed through a permit approvals process that is consistent across the entirety of the area; providing “clarity for all parties involved and ensure that the historic and aesthetic cultural heritage values of the mansion and its distinctive bush garden setting are managed consistently,” the recommendation notes.
Trenerry Property Group director Robert Dicintio said protection of the Alfred Nicholas gardens is a “wonderful step” towards the continued preservation of the Burnham Beeches estate and the surrounding grounds for generations to come, “not just for the local community that know and love these special gardens, but for all Victorians”.
“We welcome the news of its recommendation for protection by Heritage Victoria,” Mr Dicintio said.
“The announcement comes somewhat as a pleasant surprise as we were not aware of its pending application however it’s a very welcome and supported notion on our end.
“We are delighted to also have Heritage Victoria’s support of our masterplan by way of a heritage permit and these further protections of the gardens do not alter our plans or intentions in any way.”
Mr Dicintio said the Trenerry Consortium is currently engaged in a “positive and consultative” planning process via council as the group seeks approval for stage two of the Burnham Beeches masterplan.
The Heritage Council of Victoria, an independent statutory authority established under the Heritage Act 2017, makes the final decision on whether a place or object is included on the Victorian Heritage Register.
The heritage listing recommendation is published on the Heritage Council of Victoria website and is open for public submissions until 23 November 2023 via https://heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/registrations-reviews/executive-director-recommendations/
