News

At the planning committee meeting last night the majority of Darebin Councilors voted to effectively demolish Preston Market in favour of moving and rebuilding it, even though the most recent report commissioned by council says that the key attributes of the market cannot be preserved in a new building at a new site.  

In consideration of a recommendation authored by the Coordinator Strategic Planning, amendments suggested by Councilor Greco to preserve the current market on the current site were rejected. 

Representatives from community groups, DADA and Save our Preston Market, gave two minute presentations on the significance of the building fabric and the living cultural history embedded within it.

There was a third invitation made to council for a briefing from the original architects on the aesthetic and technological significance of the old market buildings.  

DADA believes there are ethical concerns when council is willing to take a briefing from developers but will not hear from the original architects.

You can watch the debate here:

http://www.darebin.vic.gov.au/Your-Council/How-council-works/Meeting-Agendas-and-Minutes/Council-Meetings

Scroll down to Watch Council and Planning Committee Meetings and look for the Planning Committee Meeting dated 19th of August 2019. If you look carefully you will see some Councilors referring to a green paper. This is a paper that has not been shared with the community and is so far is not public. Secret council business?

You can read the final recommendation in the minutes here: http://www.darebin.vic.gov.au/Your-Council/How-council-works/Meeting-Agendas-and-Minutes/Council-Meeting

Maria Poletti

DADA President

 

Chris Erlandsen and I, together, have written over 20 thousand words for the heritage application for Preston Market.

A big thanks to those of you who added to this with your personal submissions in support. 

No thanks to Darebin Council, excluding Councillor Grecco, who have been fighting the community push for a heritage listing and a heritage overlay.

We are at the end stages of the protracted process with the hearing scheduled for 9.30am, Wednesday, 17th and Friday the 19th of July, 2019.

The venue will be Conference Rooms, Level 10, Woodward Centre – Melbourne Law School Building, University of Melbourne, 183 Pelham Street, Carlton, Victoria, 3053.

If you can spare 30 minutes or more on either of the days it would be wonderful to see you there to show the Heritage Council that Preston Market is important to all Victorians.

Hope to see you there, Maria

DADA President.