Darebin Appropriate Development Association

Dear Minister for Planning and Members of Parliament both State and Federal

I am writing to you as a member of the Save our Preston Market community group, to request that you, also as a friend of Preston Market, offer immediate and urgent support to help save the market from inappropriate development.

I request that the Minister for Planning in Victoria, “call in” the project for consideration, so that a proper process of community consultation can commence and the full development plans be released.

Thank you for your time and consideration of this important matter.

Yours sincerely,

Dear Minister,

As a resident and regular user of Preston Market I am concerned at the plans for Preston market. There seems to be great concern by the community and stallholders regarding the implications of the re-development.

I ask for your urgent support to help us save our market by ‘calling in’ the project to allow proper process and community consultation on the full development plan to take place.

Kind regards

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Dear Minister Wynne

I am writing to you to express my concern at the proposed re-development of our local Preston Market.

My affiliation with the market dates back to the 1970’s when my late father worked as a butcher there. In more recent times it has been a place I  visit weekly with my family to purchase affordable produce. It has become so much more than a purchasing a weekly supply of  fresh food. My three children have grown up interacting with the traders, enjoying the unique and colourful atmosphere that it provides, watching people from all socio-economic  and ethnic backgrounds connect and very often meet for lunch in the fabulous central food court. It saddened me to think that a traditional 7 day a week retail centre is proposed for the sight. We already have multiple options in Darebin that provide major retail experience. For the last 15 years, when we  purchase our dozen eggs from Preston Market ,the trader with out fail, every time  opens the carton and checks every egg individually for potential cracks. This certainly is not something you would expect or experience from a major retail chain.

It must also be recognised that the Preston Market provides a safe and welcoming environment for many of those who are socially isolated or marginalised. For some members of the community it is the weekly address of their name from traders and knowing their regular order that gets them out of the house that day. Protecting this environment and social interaction are the basic foundations that provide the grounds for a more inclusive and cohesive society.

Minister Wynne, we are encouraged by your responsiveness thus far, meeting with committee members from Save our Preston Market group (SOPM) in September and more recently visiting the market personally. We feel the proposed re-development, in particular the addition of a 7 day a week traditional retail centre will undermine and corrode the unique character of the market and have adverse impacts on the community now and into the future. For this reason I urge you to immediately “call in” the project to allow for genuine community consultation and ensure that this beloved market is not destroyed on your watch.

Kind regards

I am writing to you to express my concern at the proposed re-development of our local Preston Market.

Since moving into the area 8 years ago, my family and I have attended the market each Saturday morning to purchase our weekly supply of fruit, vegetables and meat.  For my family, it’s more than just a regular food shop. It’s an education for our boys on healthy food choices, produce and variety but much more importantly, it’s a weekly connection to our community. Over the years we have forged relationships with the various stall holders and other market goers – such inter-generational and multicultural interactions money can’t buy.

The market is a gathering place for our local community as well as a place to access affordable and high quality produce.

We have been saddened to observe the impact of the new parking meters that have been introduced.  As young, English speaking residents, we have been able to navigate the new system however we can see that this is not the case for many of the locals – especially the aged and non English speaking members of our community. It also causes unnecessary confusion and frustration for those who may have limited literacy skills.  To us, it seems like certain community groups are being set up for failure and it appears opportunistic in terms of the generation of revenue through fines. Since the introduction of this new system, I have seen several episodes of aggression and rage at the meters and this does nothing to facilitate a feeling of safety for other market goers.

The thought of the market becoming a ‘major retail centre’ has no appeal to me and my family. We choose to attend the market to support the local traders and connect with our friends and community – there are already many local options for a ‘major retail experience’ if that is what we seek.

We feel that the proposed re-development will permanently alter and corrode the integrity of the Preston Market and will negatively impact the experience for regular market goers and traders.

We urge you and your colleagues to please act to protect our market.

Many thanks for your time and consideration,

Preston West resident

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Dear Minister Wynne

I am writing to express my concern at the proposed re-development of our much loved Preston Market.

As you may be aware Darebin Council released ‘on advertising’ only stage 1C of the proposed development just before the Christmas break-up, making it very difficult for the stakeholder community to participate in any consultative or objection process.

Further, at the same time, Darebin Council released for ‘perusal only’ the planning application for Stage 1B of the redevelopment which includes two x ten story buildings.  Council has been asked why stage 1B of the redevelopment was not released ‘on advertising’ and why the community cannot have a say through the normal process, as third party objectors, as regulated by the Planning and Environment Act 1987.  This is very worrying as Stage 1B, if it goes ahead, will establish a high rise precedent for the site which is currently low rise.  This precedent is very worrying for future stages like 1C and those that have, as yet, not been released.

Darebin Council, once again, has acted against community concerns by ignoring our rights protected under the Planning and Environment Act, 1987.

You may be reluctant to ‘call in’ planning applications, especially before they go through the proper consultative and approval process dictated but the legislation.  But, as Darebin Council have overridden and ignored our rights it seems the only way the community can have a fair say is if you ‘call in’ the application and establish an alternative process that, at least,  includes the right to object to the Stage 1B proposal.

Recently, an elderly citizen told me that his family go back five generations living in Preston and that the original Preston Market was on an alternative site before moving to the current site slated for redevelopment.  This means that the market existed for more than 50 years and while it may not meet heritage criteria for the current precinct, surely the market itself meets heritage criteria and should be protected as such.

My own relationship with the market goes back thirteen years when I bought a house in East Preston.  As a single person who lives alone I have appreciated the community atmosphere of the market, the like of which I never experienced at other markets in Melbourne.  Over the years I have come to know the stall holders and staff very well.  I consider my weekly visits more of a social outing than a necessary shop and worry that the redevelopment of the market is forcing stall holders out and will detrimentally affect the caring community it provides.  Recently I was reminded of how caring the community at Preston Market really is when, not for the first time, another shopper was polite enough to ensure she was not served ahead of me. Again, something I have never encountered at any other market.

As a pensioner I am very appreciative of the good value, low cost, high quality, and fresh produce currently provided at the market and worry that the proposed development will force the traders to increase the prices of their produce so that they are no longer affordable for low income shoppers like me.  I worry of the long term detrimental social impact of this on our community health and well being.

Currently Preston Market caters to a very broad demographic that is drawn from far beyond the local community.  The building of hundreds of one and two bedroom apartments on the site, as per the planning proposal 1B and 1C, will negatively impact on the diversity of market goers, narrowing to predominantly one or two subgroups who can afford to live in small, expensive apartments.

Apartment dwellers tend to outgrow small spaces and will become more transient than those who live in other Darebin neighbourhoods.  This discourages development of the type of caring community we have come to appreciate and want to see more of in Darebin.   In our neighbourhoods where we look out for and support each other there are lower crime rates, safer streets and better health outcomes where our ageing population can age in place and we have a diverse mix of population from babies to the elderly with all the advantages that brings.

The proposal of a traditional 7 day a week retail centre for the sight will also negatively impact on the valued attributes of the current market. We already have multiple options in Darebin that provide major retail experience which draw a less diverse crowd.  I would not want to see the high rise population ostracize particular community groups from their enjoyment of the market.

I feel that the proposed re-development will permanently alter and corrode the integrity of the Preston Market and will negatively impact the experience for market goers and traders.

I urge you and your colleagues to please act to protect our market before it is too late.

Many thanks for your time and consideration,