Burnaby council is putting forward the gate and wall surrounding the W. J. Mathers Estate as a potential protected heritage landmark in the city.

Council approved plans to send the proposal to public hearing at a recent council meeting.

Locals will have their say on the matter at a future date, which has yet to be announced.

In 2011, the city moved the gate and wall for the estate, also known as Altnadene, closer to the Mathers house and restored it.

"It's a better setting," said Jim Wolf, the city's heritage planner, at the time.

A portion of the gate and wall were previously buried under three or four feet of fill, he added, and the gate could not be restored where it was because of its proximity to Canada Way.

The project was completed with funding from the city and the provincial government.

If the site is approved as a heritage landmark, it will be protected under the Local Government Act.