Last Friday 400 Darebin locals gathered at a town hall meeting to discuss the future of Preston Market. Preston and its surrounds are gentrifying and development is running hot. Preston Market is a hub and part of the living heritage of this multicultural and key migrant hub in Melbourne’s metropolitan north.

In the latest chapter of a long dispute between Salta and Medich, the owners of Preston Market, the City of Darebin, the Victorian Planning Authority (VPA) and the local community, the latter has once again demanded the market be saved.

Plans for an apartment complex and redevelopment have been contested by many in the local community, who see the site in more ways than money alone.

Those against the proposed redevelopment argue that the Preston Market acts as a community hub bringing in a diversity of people and cultural communities. They also argue that it provides essential and much needed services, and as important, it is part of the intangible cultural heritage of Preston.

The Save The Preston Market Action Group presented Nathan Lambert the Victorian parliamentary member for Preston, with a petition signed by 12,300 people, calling for public acquisition.

Lambert listened to those in attendance, and while he made no announcements, he flagged the possibility of the public acquisition as a solution to the future of the market.

The Action Group agreed on three points.

1. The 100 percent preservation of the “existing Preston Market space as the baseline for an adequate outcome.”

2. For Salta and Medich, (owners of Preston Market), to reduce the, “exorbitant rent of the traders, to reinstate long term leases for all tenants who want them, and properly maintain the market until a final outcome is achieved.”

3. For the Victorian Government to “publicly acquire Preston Market to protect its future as a vitally important community space.”

In a statement to Neos Kosmos, one community member at the meeting said, – “how is it that one or two men have the power to make decisions that affect hundreds of thousands of people? It just isn’t right, and we sent that message loud and clear.”

On April 3, the VPA recently announced they’ll introduce new panning controls in order to preserve the heritage of the market, and retain most of the existing location according to findings from the Standing Advisory Committee (SAC).

While heritage may be considered, the community seem unhappy, believing that Victorian government is leaning towards the apartments redevelopment.

“Any honest government… should do the right thing and save the market.”
– Darebin Councillor, Gaetano Greco

Darebin Councillor for the North West Ward, Gaetano Greco, who has been at the forefront of the save the Preston Market campaign worries that the heritage claims will be ignored.

“We understand Salta and their influential lobbyists with deep connections into the Labor party are currently all over the Premier and the Planning Minister trying to get them to ignore and reject the SAC findings,” he told Neos Kosmos.

“Darebin Council is seeking an urgent meeting with the Minister to make sure she follows through on the recommendations.

“If the minister betrays the community by not following the SAC findings, then further community action and mobilization will take place.

“The SAC has made a call and any honest government, not subject to powerful economic private interest, should do the right thing and save the market.”

If the development goes ahead, it’s been suggested the market could likely close, and perhaps be moved to a smaller location, and once completed, some of the existing market will be lost.

Greco ran as an independent in the last year’s Victorian state election, largely on the issue of the market and nearly beat the ALP’s Lambert in what is a traditional Labor seat.

Neos Kosmos also spoke with a stall holder, who wishes to remain anonymous, who believes that the market won’t close.

“Well, the market won’t close if they build. The actual owner of the market gave me his word that they would not close the market during the building,” they said.

“He gave me his word, [the market owners] and I believe him because he didn’t just tell me, he told a few people that. And if you tell a few people that, you don’t want it to get thrown back in your face. So yeah, I take him by his word.”

The stall holder also understands why the redevelopment could happen.

“I understand where the owner comes from. He’s forked out all this money for this market, for this property and he’s a developer, he wants to develop it. Which you can’t argue. That’s his job. That’s his profession. So, he’s only doing it in the best interest of himself and everyone else in the market.”

* If you would like to express an opinion on the proposed redevelopment write to letters@neoskosmos.com.au or contact our editor at editor@neoskosmos.com.au