Thank you again for signing up to help Protect Preston Market.

I am writing seeking your further support at a critical time.  The State Government has announced independent Committee Hearings but provided people who made a submission only until 12 noon on 28 March (that’s only 2 business days from now!) to register to participate during the Hearing process - which is scheduled to take place for just 3 weeks during May.

With over 11,600 supporters as of March 2022, our Change.Org Petition has successfully influenced the State Government’s plan and resulted in key improvements. However, revised plans for Preston Market itself appear to be largely unchanged, meaning up to 80% of the market is still at risk of being demolished and relocated.  This is unacceptable to Council and our community

What you can do:

If you were one of 386 people who made a submission to the Victorian Planning Authority (VPA), you should have received an email from the VPA with a deadline of 28 March.  We strongly encourage you to register your interest to appear at the VPA SAC process as soon as possible.  Check your email inbox, junk mail, and letter box to see if you have received specific details on how to register and participate.

If you did not make a submission to the VPA you can still help. We encourage you to help us get the word out by sharing Council’s social media post today and emailing richard.wynne@parliament.vic.gov.au requesting timelines are extended to give the community a fair chance to respond to the revised plans. 

What’s happening?

The State Government announced changes to their plans for the Preston Market Precinct last week and they announced a Committee and Committee Hearings.  After that the Minister will make a decision. 

Minister Wynne’s timelines indicate that the Committee must provide its report by 7 July so the Minister “..can make a decision on this important project without delay.” That means we are potentially only around 3 to 4 months away from a final decision being made on the future of Preston Market - a decision that our community will have to live with for a lifetime.

This new Committee Process is an independent review of the proposed plans by an expert Panel who will then recommend any changes to the State Government and Minister Wynne.

That’s why it’s so important that submitters register to have their say no later than 28 March. Please note that all written submissions will still be considered by the Committee so it’s up to you whether you want to participate in the SAC process.

What has our advocacy together achieved so far?

• Minister Wynne directed the Victorian Planning Authority (VPA) to revise plans for the Preston Market Precinct in consultation with the Office of the Victorian Government Architect
• New revised plans were released last week, which included:
  •  A significant reduction in height and density limits,
  • A decrease from 2200 to 1200 apartments,
  • Better overshadowing protection and design for open space.

Your support to Protect Preston Market is more important than ever.

Despite some welcome steps in the right direction, the State Government’s revised plans for Preston Market itself would still see the majority of the market demolished and rebuilt - its historical, cultural and social value lost forever.

What Council is doing

I would also like to let you know that we will be rolling out a significant Protect Preston Market campaign over the coming weeks.  The eye-catching campaign will complement local community advocacy and will let the Minister know we’re not giving up our fight to save the market.

Please keep sharing our Change.Org Protect Preston Market petition at: change.org/p/minister-for-planning-protect-preston-market

Thank you again for your ongoing support. I look forward to continuing to work together as we step up our advocacy efforts to Protect Preston Market now, and into the future.

Yours sincerely,

Cr Lina Messina
Mayor of Darebin