Burwood Highway Burwood: Inside the trashed nursery empty for more than 10 years

It’s become one of the biggest eyesores in Melbourne’s east, but 10 years after it was vacated, this vandalised former nursery is still standing. We reveal why the council cannot take action.

An abandoned former nursery on a Melbourne highway has been left to rot for more than 10 years, with the local council unable to order demolition.

The former home of Garden Sheds Galore and the Paradise Gardens Cafe at 133-143 Burwood Highway, Burwood East, has been repeatedly vandalised and suspected of being trashed by squatters.

Leader first reported on the state of the site in late 2020, and Whitehorse Council’s local laws team has since issued several orders to address graffiti issues, which the council said the landowner had complied with.

However, the site remained covered in graffiti with countless broken windows and debris when Leader visited this week.

People can access the abandoned building through a broken window at the front.

Inside the abandoned former Garage Sheds Galore building on Burwood Highway in Burwood. Picture: Kiel Egging.

Despite the condition of the site, a council spokesperson said the council could not order demolition without “a sound reason” under building legislation laws, which included the structure posing a risk to public safety.

“Being unsightly, used by squatters or poorly maintained are not grounds for a demolition order under the legislation,” the spokesperson said.

“Unfortunately there are limited opportunities for council to influence the way private land like this is maintained and managed.”

The spokesperson said the council was investigating the property which “has been vacant for over 10 years”.

The former Garage Sheds Galore building on Burwood Highway in Burwood has been abandoned for more than 10 years, according to Whitehorse Council. Picture: Kiel Egging.

The prominent site is next to two Asian restaurants and is a short distance from the Burwood One shopping centre, home to a 24-hour Kmart.

Ash Dewhirst, who has lived with his parents on the opposite side of Burwood Highway since the nursery closed, said he would love to see it demolished.

“It’s not serving any purpose, it’s just being a nuisance to the local area … it’s been like this for a long time,” he said.
“Occasionally you get people destroying things and rocking up at early hours throwing bricks at windows, which is really annoying.

“My dad has had to yell at people in there and chase them off in the past.”

Meanwhile, nearby neighbour Gavin Hall, who has lived in a rental next to the site for the past two years, said it was “not the most attractive thing”.

“There’s always a worry of people coming in and out, and I’m sure the owner (of his unit) would be happier if there was something nicer next door,” he said.

Garden Sheds Galore is now based in Cheltenham and Whitehorse Council was unable to provide details of the site’s landowner.

The site is one of Whitehorse’s longest remaining eyesores after an abandoned former international school in Box Hill South was knocked down last year.

Demolition workers finally took action at the old Hays International College on Hay St, weeks after another suspicious fire in May.

Developer Golden Age has lodged plans with the council to build 147 townhouses, a wetlands and a public park at the site, near the Gardiner’s Creek trail and the Box Hill Skate Park.