Save Preston Market slam Preston MP Nathan Lambert’s comments

Supporters of Preston Market hold protest outside a Labor MP’s office with fears they are being kept in the dark over its future.

The Save Our Preston Market community group has been in a long-running battle to protect the Preston Market. Picture: David Geraghty / The Australian.

Preston residents have taken to the streets to protest plans which threaten their beloved 50-year-old market as they claim they have been left in the dark over the institution’s future.

Members of the Save the Preston Market group held a protest on Wednesday afternoon to protect the 50-year-old market which could be redeveloped with apartment and office space if a proposal is given the green light.

The group protested outside of Preston MP Nathan Lambert’s office in Coburg as they urged passing cars to honk their support to save the market.

The group brandished the Preston office with posters of Salta Group founder Sam Tarascio alongside the text “your community means nothing to me and I need another billion dollars”.

The protest was held outside Nathan Lambert's office

There was also a demand for the market to be placed in public acquisition written across the window.

It comes after Mr Lambert, who was elected in last year’s state election, has criticised the decision to hold the protest last week.

“The decision by the Save the Preston Market Group to hold a protest outside my office on a parliamentary sitting day, when I can’t be there, is unfortunate,” he wrote on Facebook.

“I hope it wasn’t deliberate.

“The idea that certain individuals would vent their aggression at office staff, or disingenuously claim that I refused to meet with them — that would be poor in any context.”

Mr Lambert went on to say if the protest was moved to a non-sitting day he would discuss the issue for as long as needed but he would not “grand stand” on social media.

However, Mr Lambert’s comments have drawn the ire of the resident group, who say they’ve been disappointed with the Preston member since he was elected in November.

“He hasn’t taken steps that anyone can see to try and advocate for the market, either in public or towards the government,” Save the Preston Market group member George Kanjere said.

“Once we declared the protest, the first thing he did, instead of acknowledging this issue causing concern and anxiety in the community, he accused us of being aggressive to his staff.

“Effectively trying to smear us as a sort of group of thugs when we’re just a family group trying to protect our community.

“We would really expect more from a local MP to represent their community with more determination and backbone.”

It comes after the group say they have yet to receive a report containing the Victorian Planning Authority’s official recommendation on the market’s future.

The report follows an extensive Standing Advisory Committee hearing which occurred last year with the residents’ group saying the report is overdue by more than a month.

“We do know that some MPs are in possession of the report so they are distributing it to some people but they’ve certainly not distributed it to the wider community,” Mr Kanjere said.

“It’s certainly not been released to the trader so basically, the people it affects the most are intentionally left in the dark … we don’t know what they’re cooking up but that is what we’re suspicious of.

“It’s just been downright disrespectful apart from being undemocratic and untransparent to not update us on what’s going on.”

It follows a protracted debate over the market’s future with the site owners, Salta Properties and Medich Corporation, planning to modernise the market with apartments and a carpark while moving parts of the market.

The residents’ group have campaigned heavily to move the market into public acquisition similar to the South Melbourne and Queen Victoria markets. A decision on the market’s future is understood to lie with new Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny and it is expected to be announced this year.