Acorn Nursery: Surrey Hills plants and coffee spot to be sold, with developers keen to build townhouses, child care

Nathan Mawby

First published 07 August 2024, 1:01pm

665-677 Canterbury Rd, Surrey Hills - for herald sun real estate

665-677 Canterbury Rd, Surrey Hills, has been listed for sale in a move that could put a timeline on the popular venue that has operated since 1985.

A beloved Melbourne nursery that has peddled plants to the city’s eastern suburbs for almost 40 years could soon be facing the bulldozer.

The award-winning Acorn Nursery in Surrey Hills has been run from 673 Canterbury Rd at the corner of Beatrice Ave since 1985.

But with its owners approaching retirement age they’ve opted to sell the 3035sq m property, which also includes The Oaks Cafe.

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Agents working on the sale have revealed its next owners might not be green thumbs.

JLL agent Mark Stafford said with local land rates hinting at a possible $7m-$8m sale, the prospect of redeveloping would be high on buyers’ mind.

“It’s a high exposure corner, right near a primary school,” Mr Stafford said.

“At the end of the day it will be highest and best use.”

The agent added that the owners were open to staying on with a short-term lease, and there was a possibility the buyer could have plans to set up shop themselves.

Co-owner John van der Horst has collected multiple awards for Australia’s Best Garden Centre for the Acorn Nursery.

The expansive nursery site could be transformed into townhouses or childcare.

Mr van der Horst has also been a proponent of gardening as a way to improve both physical and mental health.

But initial interest in the site, which will hit real estate websites later this week, has come from a number of local investment and development groups considering everything from townhouses to childcare, and from aged care to fast food.

The property is zoned residential, which will preclude some forms of development.

But Mr Stafford said he was expecting other groups from around the country and even offshore to show interest in the coming weeks, and it was also possible the nearby Surrey Hills Primary School might have interest in the address for future expansion.

The business also currently has a popular gift shop.

While this scenario was a little different to other major sites, with the nursery operators also owning the property, he said it was likely that a state-government push to boost the number of new homes being built in established Melbourne suburbs could see the loss of local icons.

“With any of these businesses, there’s a natural turn over at some point in time,” he said.

“People get to retirement age and they have been there for so long that there will be opportunities there.”

The City of Whitehorse, where the nursery is located, has been tasked with increasing its housing density and adding 79,000 new homes by 2051 — effectively doubling the current number of homes in the municipality.

For whoever buys the Canterbury Rd property, Mr Stafford added that the owners might be willing to include some garden tips and advice as part of the deal.