A PUSH to save an Avenue of Honour at the former East Bendigo State School is one step closer after City of Greater Bendigo officers recommended including the trees in a heritage overlay.

Councillors will vote on an updated heritage overlay at Wednesday night’s council meeting, which also includes the Arnold Street Uniting Church and the Bendigo Freezing Works on McDowalls Road in East Bendigo.

The Avenue of Honour on Strickland Road was planted in 1920, but was under threat by a proposed seven-lot industrial estate.

Five trees remain from the 23 planted, which each had a plaque of enlisted men from the local area. The plaques have since been removed, either when the trees died or when the school closed.

The council approved the permit for the industrial estate in November last year, which has since been challenged in the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal.

Council cannot rescind the permit, but officers recommend informing VCAT of the changed heritage value of the area.

The matter will be heard at VCAT on October 9.

An independent planning panel assessed each area – including the Avenue of Honour – and council officers have accepted its recommendations.

In a report to council, amendments planner Morgan James said the developer of the industrial estate disputes the decision.

“Council officers have met with the permit applicant who has put forward an opposite view to that of the panel, stating that the panel’s recommendations for the site are contrary to the evidence provided by both their expert witness and council’s, and should not be supported,” he said.

“Additionally, they have provided evidence from the Bendigo RSL stating that ‘the RSL recognises the avenue has basically gone for all intents and purposes and would support some form of permanent recognition that it did exist on the site’.”

Resident Gemma Starr initially raised the issue after researching the Avenue of Honour, pushing for the planning panel assessment and launching an appeal in VCAT.

She told the Bendigo Advertiser in July the council had initially “denied the legitimacy of the line of trees”.

Council disputed the claim at the time, with planning and development director Prue Mansfield saying there was insufficient evidence at the time of the approval to consider the legitimacy of the Avenue of Honour.