Jennifer Yang says QVM money wasteful
A Lord Mayor candidate says the $250m plan to redevelop Queen Victoria Market is a wasteful disaster and the money would be better spent on urgent upgrades and maintenance.
Victoria
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THE $250 million Queen Victoria Market redevelopment would be scrapped and money instead spent on urgent upgrades and maintenance, says a lord mayor candidate.
Back to Business team leader Jennifer Yang said the council’s current plan was a wasteful disaster.
“The proposal is an overblown, wasteful $250 million plan to kill the market’s heritage, destroy the 400-plus small businesses there, and smash the market viability with its insane anti-car parking rhetoric,” she said.
A centrepiece of the refurbishment is removal of the main carpark to be replaced with a green plaza while extra car spaces would be provided in nearby developments.
But Ms Yang, an ALP member, said the project was driven by a council transport strategy with an agenda to wipe out on-street parking across inner Melbourne.
“The market is the latest victim of council’s war on car drivers,” she said.
“Our team will significantly increase carparking under a revamped plan that would stop bulldozing of carparking, and building and maintaining it.”
If elected, Ms Yang said she would focus on a substantial refurbishment of the market including urgent upgrades, repairs and maintenance.
“This is the people’s market, a tourist icon, if you want a boulevard and craft markets go to Southbank,” she said.