This is a blog series where we share the community submissions sent to the Minister for Planning regarding the draft Preston Market Precinct Development Plan. We’re sharing these to give our communities voices a platform, and inspire others with stories about the market.
Submission 006:
I am opposed to the draft Preston Market Development Plan.
I would like to start by registering my objection to the consultation period provided to the community which was appallingly short. The Preston Market serves a diverse population of working class multicultural shoppers and traders of all ages, nationalities, employment categories and levels of formal education. To propose to “consult” such a community using one long, extremely inaccessible document and a shamefully short time frame is frankly insulting both to the Market and to the communities who love it. Such is the care and concern for the market that many community members have produced guides, explainers, discussion documents and visualisations to make the plans more accessible and intelligible to the community, but the fact that Engage Victoria has done none of this work itself and, again, the short time frame which has limited the reach and scope of this work is despicable. The state government needs to heed the clear signs from the community that Preston Market is a profoundly beloved community space and that in the absence of proper care and consideration for its welfare the public are willing to put up a tenacious fight to protect it.
My opposition to the plans are based on two major concerns: the damage to the market based on reduction of its footprint, destruction of the South sheds, overshadowing by tall apartment blocks, and the risks and uncertainties facing traders and shoppers during the deconstruction and recreation of the eastern fruit and vegetable sheds; and the loss of potential shared open space in a highly accessible location which will be necessitated by the density increases associated with the Preston Activity Centre.
These plans do not show a proper appreciation for, nor a credible plan to protect the precious community asset that is the Preston Market. Projections show the overshadowing of the market by high-rises and the “entombment” of the market within residential buildings and chain supermarkets so that none of the Market will be visible on approach. Furthermore, these plans propose destroying whole sections of the market. The proposed “decanting” of the fruit and vegetable stalls while these sheds are de- and reconstructed is not credible and there is no clear plan to maintain trading during this process. Multiple stories of car parks and housing above these sheds will prevent their accessibility and character ever being recovered. Big box retail chains in every corner of the market will overwhelm small traders (and parking facilities) and irrevocably destroy the market's unique character. With the market already overwhelmed with demand for its prices, variety and character, these plans would reduce both its shopping and parking facilities.
These plans fail to provide sufficient shared open space. (The provision of open green space on the third floor amidst a private residential development is simply fanciful and will clearly not be taken up by the vast majority of market goers). With the intensification of housing development in the Preston Activity Centre, the requirement for genuinely shared community spaces, open to all, for gathering, exercise, play, cultural events etc will correspondingly increase. These plans do not take up this potential which is offered by the Market and its unique role, location and history.
