The heritage-listed Norman Lodge gatehouse on Nepean Highway, Mount Eliza, is due to commence being dismantled by Monday 18 August to be in compliance with an order issued by Heritage Victoria.
The deadline comes a year after a demolition order was issued for the building after a structural engineer’s report identified it as having suffered “total loss of structural integrity”.
The protected gatehouse has fallen into disrepair over the past decade and has been the subject of planning applications in 2013 and 2020 that would have seen the structure deconstructed and moved just metres away to be reconstructed on a concrete slab footing. However, works were not undertaken.
The situation was exacerbated in April 2024 when the building was badly damaged after a large eucalyptus tree fell onto it.
At the time, the chief operations officer for the Chas J Group, which owns the property, told The News that the building would be repaired as stipulated under the heritage order (Weather a blow to heritage gatehouse, The News, 23/4/24).
Heritage Victoria subsequently issued a notice to the owner to obtain an approved heritage specialised structural engineering report, with a particular focus on the structural integrity and ability to save the building.
The report found severe cracking on all four sides of the gatehouse, resulting in a total loss of structural integrity.
In June 2024, Heritage Victoria issued a notice to show cause under the Heritage Act 2017 to the owners of the Norman Lodge Gatehouse requiring a range of works and activities to be undertaken following damage caused by the fallen tree.
This included the installation of tarpaulin to protect the registered place from weather damage.
On 16 August 2024, a further show cause notice was issued by Heritage Victoria as a precursor to a potential repair order requiring the dismantling and reconstruction of the Gatehouse.
In September 2024, Heritage Victoria received a response advising that all requirements would be met, including the dismantling and reconstruction of the gatehouse.
The owners’ heritage consultants prepared the required documentation, which was approved by Heritage Victoria on 13 June 2025.
An extension was then requested and granted, requiring dismantling to commence by 4 August, with an additional extension being granted to 18 August.
Asked by The News why a tarpaulin is no longer in place, a representative from Heritage Victoria said they were “unaware that the tarpaulin had been removed and has sought clarification from the owner”.
Norman Lodge Estate’s listing on the Victorian Heritage Register, which includes the gatehouse, notes the site “is significant to the history and development of Victoria and is protected by law.”
The estate is considered a rare intact example of one of several bayside estates constructed in the 1860s as summer retreats for Melbourne’s businessmen. It is one of the few of these estates which was not substantially subdivided during the mid-20th century, when maintenance of these properties became difficult for individual families.
Norman Lodge is of historical significance for its association with several important Melbourne businessmen in the 19th and 20th centuries, including Richard Grice, Thomas Baker and Norman Myer.
It is the responsibility of Heritage Victoria to regulate and enforce the Heritage Act. Under the act, the owner of a Victorian Heritage Register place must not allow that place or object to fall into disrepair (HA s 152). The owner must also not fail to maintain that place to the extent that its conservation is threatened (HA s 153).
Enforcement action can be undertaken by Heritage Victoria if it considers a place has been allowed to fall into disrepair or is not being maintained. Penalties, including fines and/or imprisonment, can be issued for failure to abide by a repair order issued by Heritage Victoria.
A representative of the property owner told The News “Since the collapse of the tree limb overhanging the structure, resulting in serious damage to it, we have and continue to work with relevant stakeholders towards a suitable resolution for the site. These endeavours currently remain ongoing.”
First published in the Mornington News – 12 August 2025
