please protect Preston Market, fresh food & multi-cultural hub in Melbourne

Front entrance to Preston Market

Colonial occupation of the Port Phillip District from 1835 resulted in the survey and subdivision of the land, with the land being taken up largely for grazing, and then tanneries was establish­ed in Preston. In 1888 a huge tannery was built on the block surrounded by High St, Cramer St, the railway line & Murray St, the site now occupied by Preston Market. Demolition of the tannery in 1964 left a large vac­ant site, ripe for redevelopment. 10 years earlier, a report prepared as a part of the 1954 Melbourne and Metropolitan Plan­ning Scheme id­en­t­ified Preston as one of the 5 District Business Centres that could be the focus of commerce & employment. Concept plans for the Preston District Centre proposed new development across the tannery site, crossed by a series of shopping walks.

Northlands opened in 1966, a regional shopping centre representing the modern, cl­osed retailing concept, fully enclosed and ped­estrian­­is­ed. It responded to social & ec­onomic conditions after WW2 i.e rapid expansion of the suburbs, drama­tic increase in private car ownership, increased prosperity and an emphasis on new lifestyles.

Leon Jolson, developer and original owner decided in the late 1960s to build a traditional European market. He wanted his market to be a place of noise and act­ivity and when the housewife arrived back home, he wanted her to feel exhilarated’. Note that at that time, only four of the C19th retail markets re­mained: Queen Victoria Market, South Mel­bourne Market, Prah­ran Market and Dandenong Market. [I lived near Prahran Market, and happily shopped there regularly].

Preston Market comm­en­c­ed in 1969, on a key site in the centre of Pres­ton, and close to the civ­ic and commercial precinct that developed at High and Cramer Sts. This market referred back to trad­it­ional open air markets, now reflecting key themes in the social & economic history of this lo­c­ality: ex­pansion of suburban Melb­ourne, post-WW2 migration and the development of dist­inctive retail­ing modes.

The concept employed by the designer team was for a market build­ing that would be adaptable over time. The large open shed-like build­ings were pre-fabricated, with a strong range of ind­ust­rial materials. A key element was the use of a new technology and the design offered good access to natural light and open air between the buildings. The layout was created around two axes that functioned as pedestrian streets and defined the overall market plan

By Aug 1970 the market had 250 stalls: greengrocers, butchers, delis, coffee and food stalls, and 130 others.

Delis

Greengrocers

Coffee shops

A few years later, canopies were added to walkways. The Preston Fresh Food Market was opened in 2016 in Cramer St Bingo Hall and refurb­ish­ment began within the market complex itself. The market was now the second largest in Melbourne, especially once Sunday trade commenced.

This market has grown into a famous centre of cultural and culinary wealth, changing as the neighbourhood changed over the 50 years and continue to ev­olve. But its place at the heart of the community rem­ains strong. Melbourne’s multi­cultural hub of the north, the market was to celebrate its 50th anniversary in Aug 2020 (deferred by COVID), by sharing history, trad­ers’ stories, old photos and recipes. This was the beating heart of Preston.

Now the world is changing. In Aug 2017, the Minister for Planning asked the Victorian Planning Authority to review the current planning controls across the whole market site.

A decision about the market's future will be fast-tracked to help stimulate Victoria's struggling economy but Darebin Council fears mov­ing too quickly could undermine the review process. The site in Melb­ourne's north has been earmarked for redevelopment, with plans to add multi-storey blocks of flats, raising the probability that the market could be demolished and rebuilt elsewhere. Thus the heritage value and all the things that make the market so special could be lost. A petition has been opened to preserve the market. 

In response, historians have shown that since being established in 1970 as a traditional European heart in Melbourne, Preston Market has changed with the city’s ever-growing diverse makeup and has evol­v­ed into a vibrant multi­cultural precinct. Its evolution from a European-centric market to a multicultural one reflected the shifts in Melb­our­ne’s migrant communities. Hailed as Melbourne's second-largest market, it welcomed c80,000 visitors every week before the Covid pandemic: Indians, Sri Lankans, African communities, Chinese, Greeks, Ital­ians who sell foods that res­on­ate with their own cultures and others. Pres­ton Market has thus created the opport­unity to open a busin­ess interact­ing with customers from all over the world.

For traders, the intimate connection to communities they serve is what sets them apart in a competitive commercial environment. It is a place where the customer can connect and form relation­sh­ips. Each family-owned business has its own particular strengths, but the unique sell­ing point lies in good prices, fresher food and personal attention from the owner. Yes, the big super­mark­ets and the shopping centres are making big profits, but that is not all that locals want.

Prahran Market