Darebin mayor vows to fight ‘inappropriate’ Preston Market development

The battle to save Preston Market in its current form is heating up.

The Andrews government’s original plan to develop the site permitted up to 2200 apartments in blocks up to 20-storeys high, but Planning Minister Richard Wynne last week significantly slashed the number of apartments allowed in draft planning rules to 1200 after community backlash.

The owners of the site – Salta Properties and Medich Corporation – say the revised development plan makes revitalisation of the market unviable.

But Darebin City Council mayor, Lina Messina, says even with fewer apartments, problems with the plan remain.

“The state government has released plans for the site which would see 80 per cent of the current market demolished,” she told Tony Jones, filling in for Neil Mitchell.

“We’re not against progress … council is not opposing any development. We want appropriate development for the site.

Councillor Messina says the community wants the market’s current footprint to remain, and the council will fight for that in an upcoming hearing on the future of the site, which is scheduled for May.

“They (the community) want fresh affordable food, they want to protect the intergenerational traders who have been there a long time, and they want to keep the market’s footprint,” she said.

“Build around it.”

Press PLAY below to hear Cr Messina vowing to fight ‘inappropriate’ development of the market

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