HERITAGE status, offering future protection for Bright’s highly revered avenue of trees lining the town’s western entrance, is officially in motion.
Alpine Shire Council is seeking to amend its planning scheme to apply a permanent heritage overlay to the ‘Gateway Trees’, recognising them as ‘an individually significant place’.
Council’s manager of growth and future, Michael MacDonagh, said the heritage overlay will seek to protect the integrity of the avenue of trees, and any removal or impact to the avenue will need to be considered through a planning permit process.
The trees hold immense social and aesthetic value to the Bright community and are celebrated throughout Australia for their spectacular autumn colours.
Consisting of Pin Oaks, Dutch Elms and Scarlet Oaks, the avenue of trees is estimated to be around 90 years old.
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The ‘Gateway Trees’ have been the subject of controversy since early 2023, when the community became aware of a proposal to cut down some of trees, in order to make way for a new intersection as part of a significant residential development to accommodate the town’s ongoing and future growth.
Community members rallied, spearheaded by the newly formed ‘Save the Gateway Trees in Bright’, and gained more than 30,000 signatures seeking heritage overlays to be applied at both the local and state level.
“Since Dutch Elm Disease has decimated populations of the elms in Europe, the Gateway Trees remain one of the last mature avenues of trees featuring Dutch Elms in the world,” Leanne Boyd said, on behalf of ‘Save the Gateway Trees in Bright’.
“This makes them globally significant.
“While a planning permit issued in late 2023 allows up to two mature trees to be cut down and a further three trees to be relocated, residents are still hoping that the trees can be spared.
“With the new intersection design not yet released, there remains some hope.
“We are also looking to get trees in Railway Parade and Anderson Street heritage listed, but we understand it takes time to do so.
“We really want to say ‘thank you’ to council for recognising and addressing our concerns.”
The group will be seeking the advice of Heritage Victoria to ensure no stone is left unturned and everything possible is done to ensure the trees are protected.
“This is an Australian story,” group member, Graham Ryder said.
“People come from around the country and even around the world, at all times of the year to holiday here and to spend time in Bright.
“The more trees we have, the more colourful our area is.
“If these trees were located around the Botanical Gardens in Melbourne, they wouldn’t touch them.”
Mr MacDonagh aid council’s strategic planning team is constantly seeking to identify places that may meet the threshold for heritage significance and the community is encouraged to get in touch should they have any suggestions for future consideration.
He said it is expected that other avenues of trees across Alpine Shire would meet the threshold for local heritage significance and that this work would be undertaken in the future.
