Darebin Appropriate Development Association

The heritage hearing to determine if Preston Market is added to the Victorian Heritage Register was held on the 17th and 19th of August, 2019.

The registration committee were Mr Lindsay Merritt (Chair), Prof Stuart Macintyre, Ms Penelope Smith.

Submissions from DADA, Save our Preston Market, Darebin Ethnic Communities Council, Ethnic Communities Council Victoria, Mr Gaetano Greco, Mr Barry Pearce supported the application for registration and stressed the importance of Preston Market to the heritage of Victoria.

You can read the submission by the original architect and designers, BARRY PEARCE, Architect and Designer and DAVID RAYSON, Building Designer here:

You can read the DADA hearing submission here:

Read the submission on behalf of DADA and Save our Preston Market here:

We discovered, through the process, that Darebin Council still owns land titles in the market. We have asked the Darebin CEO and Mayor to clarify this.

The Heritage Council representative told the hearing that:

The former Broadhurst Tannery site is in the Victoria Heritage Inventory (H7922-0399).

Its significance is quite separate to Preston Market.

Archaeological investigation would be a Heritage Act Consent requirement for any disturbance or development work undertaken on the Inventory site that may affect historical archaeological remains associated with the former tannery.

The area also has blanket protection under the Act.  Under the terms of the Act it is an offence to disturb any historical archaeological remains, even for a site that is not included on the Heritage Inventory, unless a Consent has been issued by the Executive Director, Heritage Victoria.

The Heritage Council has 90 days to make a determination.

The Preston Leader has the following article on their Facebook page. Happy reading.

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/north/save-our-preston-market-group-says-council-waved-white-flag/news-story/69bff97da9f5ca6800ddaee3e108d0f0

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