Preston Market advocates take thousands of signatures to parliament

The long and hard-fought campaign to preserve the Preston Market has seen the delivery of almost 30,000 signatures to state parliament.

The battle to preserve the Preston Market has culminated in advocates taking Spring Street to spread their message that they won’t be backing down.

A group of passionate market advocates accompanied by Darebin mayor Julie Williams staged a protest in front of state parliament on March 23, demanding for the release of a crucial report that will determine the fate of the site and for their voices to be heard by state MPs.

The group delivered two petitions to be tabled in parliament that were the result of a six-year long fight, one from Darebin council with 15,328 signatures and one by advocates with 12,280 signatures.

Campaigners have been calling on Planning Minister Sonja Kilkenny to release the report from the Victorian Planning Authority Projects Standing Advisory Committee, which makes recommendations about the future use and development of the Preston Market Precinct.

The council have recently joined advocates in demanding the government to release the report, which was due to be made public more than two months ago.

Save Preston Market campaigners and Darebin mayor Julie Williams fighting for the market on the steps of Victorian parliament. (Picture: Olivia Condous)

Mayor Julie Williams said the council and advocates wanted the state government to “hear and not ignore” the community’s voices.

“We're asking for the Victorian government to act in the interest of the Darebin community and protect the Preston Market in its current form,” Ms Williams said.

“The community are not only frustrated but they're getting angry … this has been going for years and years.”

The council have proposed an alternate plan to preserve the market’s footprint while developing an unused part of the property to build 1200 apartments, but market advocates are calling for public acquisition of the land to protect it permanently.

The council and advocates invited the ministers for planning and local government as well as Preston state Labor MP Nathan Lambert to join them at the event, but no state politicians attended.

While the Labor MP has clashed with campaigners previously, Mr Lambert addressed parliament on March 21 and called on the planning minister to preserve the market.

“I specifically ask that she protects the centre way and its surrounding buildings and keeps them in its current location,” Mr Lambert said.

Campaign organiser Laura Fazio said public acquisition, which has been used to protect Queen Victoria Market and South Melbourne Market, would end the years-long fight for good.

“This hasn't been a one or two year battle, some of our members have been fighting for the market for 10 years,” she said.

“We don't want to come back to these steps in two years’ time fighting the same battle.”

“The community takes the Preston Market and its future very seriously and is prepared to take action.

“Community is what sustains us as individuals and it is the Preston Market that sustains our community, it is an icon we can't afford to lose and we will not stop until the market is safe.”