Melbourne council backs down from $250m Queen Victoria Markets fight

Melbourne’s City Council backs down from its Queen Victoria Markets redevelopment plan days before the new Lord Mayor is revealed.

Candidates for Melbourne’s Lord Mayor election have been divided over the plans. Picture: David Crosling

Melbourne’s City Council backed down from a fight over its $250 million plan to redevelop the Queen Victoria Markets, just days before its next Lord Mayor is revealed.

The council’s future planning committee will recommend renegotiating its plans to refurbish the popular markets after a Heritage Victoria ruling in March put the plans on hold.

The planning committee said an appeal against Heritage Victoria would be long, costly and not transparent enough.

Candidates for Melbourne’s Lord Mayor election have been divided over the plans to redevelop one of the city’s most popular tourist destinations.

Voting stopped last week and a result will be announced at 7pm on Friday, more than three months after Robert Doyle resigned over sexual harassment allegations.

“I’m pleased that common sense has prevailed and my idea not to challenge Heritage Victoria’s decision ... has been adopted by the City of Melbourne,” Labor-linked candidate Jennifer Yang said.

Frontrunners Sally Capp, the chief executive of the state property council, and Greens councillor Rohan Leppert did not respond to requests for comment.

Heritage Victoria stopped the council from taking down two 140 year-old sheds in March for fear they could not be returned to the site in their original condition.

The council has wanted remove the sheds temporarily to dig three levels of underground parking and other service areas for local traders at the markets.

Acting Lord Mayor Arron Wood, according to the Herald Sun, told a council briefing that he still supported redeveloping the development but the plans had yet to be sold to the community.

“We haven’t won the narrative as much as we could have. Various groups have been very vocal and it’s been very easy to say ‘hands off our market,’” he said.

“So we’ve got to get better at telling the reason as to why this needs to occur.”

It is believed it will take nearly six months for the council to renegotiate their plans for the market with Heritage Victoria and submit a new application.

Victoria’s planning minister Richard Wynne said the council was right to rethink its plan for the markets.

“We’ve been very clear that any development of the market will have to respect and preserve the rich character and heritage that makes it what it is,” he said.

“Heritage Victoria will not allow any development that puts heritage at risk, but they are working closely with the City of Melbourne on a way forward.”