By Parker McKenzie
The new owners of Burnham Beeches have held a public consultation session while outlining their plans for the historic Sherbrooke mansion.
On Sunday 29 May, Trennery Consortium, who completed the purchase of the property from chef Shannon Bennett on 22 May, invited members of the community to meet the new owners and have their say on the future of Burnham Beeches.
The consultation featured a Welcome to Country and a speech from the family of Alfred Nicholas, the sales magnate who commissioned the building of the mansion.
Trenerry Director Robert DiCintio said when the opportunity to purchase the property presented itself, they knew they needed to make it happen.
“ We know there’s a really strong community sentiment around Burnham Beeches and we want to work with Council and the community together with Heritage Victoria and Parks Victoria to ensure this is a place to be enjoyed for generations to come,” he said.
“ There’s a lot to work through even in this initial stage, and years of work ahead. We are both respectful and excited, if not somewhat daunted, by the journey ahead but I believe with the support of Burnham’s passionate stakeholders together with our proven track record, we can see it operating in some capacity later this year.”
The three-storey mansion was completed in 1933 and features an Art Deco Streamline Moderne style and has previously been used as a children’s hospital during World War II, a research facility and as a small hotel.
The consortium, which consists of Victor Smorgen Group, The Kanat Group and Trenerry Property, plans to restore several of the heritage buildings on the 56-acre site including the Alfred Nicholas heritage museum.
Village Well Managing Director Gilbert Rochecouste, the placemaking agency appointed to assist on the Burnham Beeches acquisition, said Burnham Beeches is truly a one-time one-place offering.
“We are pleased to be embarking on this regenerative journey with the local community and to be working on such a significant and unique site which is both locally loved and globally distinctive.” he said.
The Trennery Consortium said their immediate priority is to work with Heritage Victoria and Council on several building orders that need to be immediately addressed across the site. To do so, they have appointed Hamilton Marino to complete the works.
The sale included a permit for a 400 person hotel with dining, a 140 seat restaurant, a brewery and staff accommodation redevelopment.
