Avenue of honour appeal revision

Gemma Starr researched the historical significance of the line of trees on the Strickland Road block before taking the application to VCAT and a Planning Panels Victoria Hearing.

“The panel decided that the Avenue of Honour at Former East Bendigo State school is of 'historical' and 'social' significance and it needs to be protected and included in the Council's proposed  Heritage Overlay HO891,” she said.

“Now the panel’s report will be taken to council and it will be voted on as to whether or not council will adopt the extended overlay and the protection of the trees.”

The recommendations suggest the heritage overlay map be extended to incorporate the path from Strickland Road and the surviving adjacent trees.

“There is little doubt that as an avenue of honour the five trees that remain adjacent to the footpath from Strickland Road is a diminished form of what was originally there,” the discussions read.

“However, it is clear that the main entrance to the school was always from Strickland Road and that the Murphy Street entrance was available for vehicles, service entry and other purposes.

“Regardless of the fact that the number of original trees are diminished and some of them are in poor condition, it seems to the Panel that the significance of these plantings to this site have been down played and the Anzec Avenue in its diminished form should be acknowledged as part of the Heritage Overlay. 

“The land owner and council denied the legitimacy of the line of trees as an avenue of honour.”

City of Greater Bendigo planning and development director Prue Mansfield said council had not “deliberately” downplayed  for the sake of development.

Ms Mansfield said “there was insufficient evidence before to determine” the legitimacy of the avenue of honour.

“We are pleased with those results and recommendations for change,” she said.

She said the recommendations would be put to council on August 26.