Major renovation project at Villers-Bretonneux Military Cemetery, France

Villers-Bretonneux Military Cemetery in France is currently undergoing a horticultural renovation project which will take three years to complete. The project will include the replacement of existing Hornbeam trees, essential elements of the original cemetery design, which have started to deteriorate with age. The work must be undertaken now to ensure there is minimum disruption for visitors and sufficient time for the new avenue of trees to establish before any commemorative events in 2018. Villers-Bretonneux has a particular association with Australia, whose forces fought significant actions here in 1918, and the Australian National Memorial stands within the cemetery.

The cemetery renovation will be carried out in three stages, and will be completed in 2010.