Campaigners protest to save the Queen Victoria Market
CAMPAIGNERS hoping to save the Queen Victoria Market from redevelopment staged a noisy and passionate protest, buoyed by high-profile supporters.
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CELEBRITY power joined with stallholders to voice their outrage over the planned $250 million redevelopment of the heritage-listed Queen Victoria Market.
Actors, singers and comedians swapped the stage for the back of a truck to speak out against the looming revamp of the 7ha site.
Australian acting veterans Sigrid Thornton and Michael Caton spoke out at the rally. Thornton said shoppers wanted authentic open-air markets to buy fresh food.
Caton, whose The Castle battler hero Darryl Kerrigan fought unwanted development, said he fought to save Bondi Pavilion and said the market must saved too.
“How’s the serenity?’’ he asked shoppers at the busy market.
Father Bob Maguire told the rally the market is a sacred site and that visiting the market was like a pilgrimage to gather fresh food.
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Fr Bob said the redevelopment would make it harder for poor families to access fresh, cheap food.
Comedian Gerry Connolly, dressed as the Queen, said the market should stay for the people.
“It doesn’t belong to property dealers and developers.”
Many of the speakers aimed their anger at Lord Mayor Robert Doyle.
Traders said they didn’t have certainty of tenure in the new-look market and were concerned about their livelihoods.
Phil Cleary, who ran for mayor last year on a Save the Market ticket, called for a community picket to stop the redevelopment’s bulldozers.
“My message to Daniel Andrews and (planning Minister) Richard Wynne if you put a bulldozer on this site you will pay at the next election.”
Mr Cleary said the revamp was nothing more than a land grab.
Actor Sigrid Thornton told shoppers that people wanted authentic open-air markets to buy fresh food.
Comedian Gerry Connolly and singer Dan Sultan were there and many speakers directed anger at Lord Mayor Robert Doyle.
Opponents also object to the construction of a $400 million, 40-storey tower on the neighbouring Munro site.
Traders said they didn’t have certainty of tenure in the new-look market and were concerned about their livelihoods.
Messages were read out from entertainment great Barry Humphries who said the proposed redevelopment of the Queen Victoria Market would gamble away its future.
Humphries said Melbourne had been committing “architectural suicide” since the 1960s by demolishing significant buildings.
And Australian musician Paul Kelly, who is performing at the Myer Music Bowl tonight, said the market wasn’t broken and didn’t need fixing.
The protest was organised by Friends of the Queen Victoria Market.
But the council and market management have said the heritage-listed site needed to change or it would not survive.
A City of Melbourne spokeswoman said business analysis showed that the future of the market was at risk.
Work is expected to start early next year on construction of a glasshouse-style pavilion for traders who are disrupted by works.
The full $250m, five-year redevelopment will also include the renovation of the meat and delicatessen halls and restoration of the building facade fronting Elizabeth St.
The current carpark will become a public open space, to be known as Market Square.
Singer @dansultan tells the QVM crowd that the market is a special place. Performing Old Fitzroy. 🎤 @theheraldsun pic.twitter.com/BQmRnD7lzN
— Ian Royall (@IanRoyall) December 16, 2017
Car spaces will instead be provided under four of the sheds on Peel St and in the $400m revamp of the Munro site, which is bordered by Queen, Franklin and Therry streets.
The council is waiting for final sign-off from Heritage Victoria which is reviewing about 1600 submissions to the proposed rebuilding of sheds A to D as well as excavating down for three levels of storage and car parking.
Earlier this week, the market reported a $2.3 million loss for the last financial year.
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