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Darebin Appropriate Development Association Charter (November, 2022)   Since 2005 Darebin Appropriate Development Association DADA, is a group of residents of Darebin concerned with inappropriate development. DADA represents and provides assistance to residents who might feel unheard and powerless when development is happening near them. DADA acts to preserve the nature and character of our welcoming community and influence planning at all levels of government to ensure appropriate … Read More.. about About DADA

Preston Market Update: Council Meeting 9th June 2020

There have been claims and counter claims about the decision made on the future of Preston Market at the council meeting on the 18th of May 2020.

In an attempt to get council to clarify their position regarding the demolition, shift and rebuild of the market DADA asked the following questions.

Read the council reply underneath and decide if Preston Market is still at risk of being demolished?

If you are concerned about the future of Preston Market tell your council representatives.

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The Preston Market motion passed at the last council meeting (May 18) has created confusion and concern in the Darebin community about the fate of Preston Market.

For the sake of clarification will council please answer yes or no to the following questions:

Q. Does the motion passed keep open the option of demolishing, relocating and rebuilding the market?

Response

Council doesn’t get to make the decision on whether or not the market will move. That’s up to the State Government and the landowner. What Council can decide, is what it tells the VPA is most important to think about when they set the planning rules.

The advice we’ve had from experts is that there are real risks if the market is moved – particularly to the architectural heritage of the building which is very important. The advice also indicates real risks to the ongoing viability of the market and to the existing traders if parts of the market aren’t moved or expanded, which is also very important.

We haven’t given up hope that there’s a solution where all of these risks are balanced. Where both the architecture and the traders are protected. That’s what we asked the VPA to do on 18 May 2020, to protect both – and we called for both a heritage overlay and a contractual agreement with the landowner.

Q. Is relocating the Preston Market to a new position still one of the options being considered by council?

Response

Once the VPA comes to us with a plan, we will be able to say whether we think they go far enough to meet Council’s clear objectives to protect what’s most important. Council’s objectives are very clear that moving the market could only be supported if the heritage experts say that it won’t harm the heritage of the market building.

Councilors in the chamber have claimed that there are many views from the community that do not support the continuation of Preston Market in situ.

Q. Is this secret council business or will you release the data of Darebin community members who support the relocation, hence ultimate destruction/demolition of the market? 

Response

All of the community engagement for Preston Market has been done by engagement specialists and their reports made fully public. The most recent round of engagement was carried out in May and June last year, by RPS Consultants. Issues around market character and urban design were looked at in-depth.

The report from this phase of engagement concludes: “Feedback also shows that maintaining the intangible essence of the market was an important consideration for participants. For the vast majority of participants these intangibles create the value of the market – this includes: the range and diversity of offerings, affordability, providing a welcoming and inclusive space that everyone can enjoy, having a range of stallholders, its cultural diversity and its authentic, ‘grunge’ aesthetic. For this majority the location of the market is not a concern.”

We also know that there are people within the community who passionately believe the market should remain exactly where it currently sits in the site.

Dr Jane Stanley Presentation to Darebin Council

 

 

On Monday the 25th of May 2020 Dr Jane Stanley gave a presentation to Darebin councilors on ways of ensuring Preston Market’s viability without the need to demolish, relocate and rebuild.

Dr Jane Stanley is the Australian President of Eastern Regional Organisation for Planning and Human Settlements.  (That is eastern of the world, not just Australia or Victoria or Darebin.)

She has given DADA permission to post and share her powerpoint presentation.

You can read it here: Preston market presentation pp

 

Preston Market Update: 18th of May, 2020

DADA is extremely disappointed that council did not support the amendments to the motion on Preston Market.  We feel these would have helped tighten protections for the market and proved that council was not leaving open the option to demolish, move and rebuild the market.

If you listen to the reasons given by Councilors Amir and Newton for not supporting the amendments, in the clips below, you will hear very clearly that they want to keep as many options open as possible.

In our view that includes demolishing, moving and rebuilding the market on the Cramer Street side of the site.

Public Question Time, Darebin Council Meeting, 18th of May 2020

 

Below is an edit from council meeting minutes for Monday the 18th of May 2020.

DADA asked:

Maria Polietti (sic), DADA President, (Presented by Chris Erlandsen, DADA Vice President and Save Our Preston Market Representative)

Will Council agree to record voting patterns in the General Council Meeting Minutes and Planning Committee Meeting Minutes?

Response from Chairperson, Mayor Rennie

Council’s Governance Rules (Meeting Procedure and Common Seal) Local Law – clause 42(1) stipulates that the Mayor will call the names of Councillors (for and against) of all motions and amendments (except procedural matters) and that’s a change that was made in the last Governance Local Law so that change that Ms Polietti has requested is actually now part of the Governance Local Law.

To be very clear and accurate, the minutes of the 18th of May, 2020 meeting were the very first where the voting patterns were published even though the Mayor had been recording them for some time in previous meetings.

DADA has been asking for greater transparency around voting patterns for at least 6 years.

This council cannot claim a strong commitment to transparency when they began their office by refusing the option to call for a ‘division’ which in the past enabled the recording and publishing of some, not all voting patterns.