DADA, the Darebin Ratepayers Association, the Advocate for Preston Market Traders, the Darebin Ethnic Communities Council and community members wrote this week to Darebin Council and the Planning Minister the Hon. Richard Wynne MP to request:
That Council: re-consider your recent decision and call an urgent meeting to immediately seek approval from the Minister of Planning to apply a Heritage Overlay and install interim or permanent controls to the market site. Moreover, we call on Council to immediately undertake further research into the state significance of the mark and that Council and the VPA scraps the extension of the new timelines for Community Reference groups.
That the Minister:immediately apply a Heritage Overlay process to the market site • Immediately apply interim or permanent heritage protections to safe guard the market against heritage vandalism • Undertake and/or commission that further research be carried out into the state significance of the market • Immediately scrap the extension of the new timelines for Community Reference groups • Agree to urgently meet with us as a matter of priority to discuss our concerns about this significant site that is of importance to the community and the state of Victoria.
The respective letters can be found here:Preston Market letter to Council Preston Market letter to Minister