The Market is the heart of our community. It’s an important source of employment, social connection, and of course quality, affordable food.

Planning controls are in place, with a Heritage Overlay that seeks to protect the heritage significance of the market, including substantially retaining the market in situ, and ensuring a market use is provided on the site. The Planning Minister is responsible for considering any future development plans and planning permits for the Precinct.

We will continue to work with the traders, community, State Government and the landowner owner to support a thriving Preston market now, and into the future.


What happened?

In early August 2023 Minister for Planning Sonya Kilkenny introduced new planning controls, including a Heritage Overlay, to guide future development of the market site. The amendment was altered following advice from an independent advisory committee that found the market needs to be substantially retained in its current place to protect the heritage significance of the market.

The new planning controls require the substantial retention of the existing market in situ, while allowing for the delivery of 1200 new homes, retail and commercial development. A precinct-specific Activity Centre Zone, Development Plan Overlay and Heritage Overlay will assist in protecting the historical, aesthetic, technical and social significance of the market. The planning controls make the Minister for Planning the responsible authority for the development plan and all future planning permits for the precinct.

You can view the approved Planning Scheme Amendment C182dare documents here.


Background to Draft Amendment C182

The Standing Advisory Committee Findings

The Preston Market Standing Advisory Committee (SAC) report on Proposed Amendment C182 was released in April 2023, along with a commitment by the Victorian Premier that the market will be protected with a Heritage Overlay.

The advisory committee found that the VPA's proposed removal of a substantial portion of the existing market’s fabric had not struck the right balance in the context of the Preston Market’s historical, aesthetic, technical and social significance and the market should remain substantially in situ under new planning controls.

Council’s submission

In response to the Victorian Planning Authority’s draft plans for the Preston Market site in 2022 (draft Planning Scheme Amendment C182), Council developed its own plan for the Preston Market precinct that involved keeping the market where it is, while also allowing well designed development on the site.

Darebin Council does not own the Market and has no formal power to influence the planning controls for future development. That’s why Darebin Council was calling for the planning process to be changed to make sure the Developer protects the Market in any future development of the site.

We submitted our proposed alternate plan to the Standing Advisory Committee (SAC) during the late 2022 panel hearing, including:

  • The current heritage market is retained and upgraded – with the same traders and spaces that the community knows and loves.
  • The same number of apartments as in the VPA's plan are provided around the market, at a scale appropriate for this well-serviced location.
  • Building controls to deliver development outcomes that are responsive to their location on the site and minimise negative impacts like overshadowing and poor design.
  • Pedestrian and cycling connectivity are enhanced, including between the station and market through to High Street.
  • More new, quality public open spaces are provided in the precinct.
  • More affordable housing is provided in the precinct.
  • Continued servicing of the market is provided throughout redevelopment stages.

VPA's revised plans put to the Standing Advisory Committee

The VPA released revised plans for the market site in March and April 2022 (draft Amendment C182), involving changes following consultation such as reduced residential density, reduced and mandatory building heights, and subsequent changes to affordable housing requirements and development contributions.

Council evaluated that the VPA's draft planning controls would have had a significant impact on our community, surrounding businesses, housing, transport, and the look and feel of development in the area.

The VPA's 2022 revisions were in response to the 386 submissions received regarding the May 2021 consultation. While some changes were made in response to Council and community concerns were welcome (such as a reduction to building heights and density limits, and better overshadowing protections) we remained seriously concerned with the lack of protections for the Preston Market where 80% of the market could have been demolished.

The VPA's revised plans and previous community submissions (from VPA’s 2021 consultation process) was considered by a Standing Advisory Committee (SAC) - a panel of experts appointed by the Minister for Planning. The SAC panel hearing was held over 5 weeks from October 3rd to November 10th 2022, during which Council presented its alternate plan.

Council’s 2021 Submission to VPA draft plans

At its Council Meeting on 28 June 2021, Council resolved to make a detailed submission to the VPA that was highly critical of the Victorian Planning Authority’s draft planning controls for Preston Market. Council’s submission measured the VPA's public consultation plans (May 2021) against the asks in the Heart of Preston report.

Council was concerned the draft planning rules for Preston Market, proposed by the VPA, would see:

  • 80% of the market demolished.
  • weak protection for the heritage values of the market
  • no protection of the social and cultural functions or ongoing use of the market.
  • no guarantee for existing traders to continue in the future market.
  • an overall development that would be too dense for this location.

Heart of Preston

Darebin Council set out to envision everything the community loves about the market through its Heart of Preston document whilst the VPA was preparing its draft planning controls for the site.

The Heart of Preston sets out Council’s community-informed vision for a future Preston Market Precinct, including:

  • Retaining the market in its current site and current form
  • Retaining the use of the market, as a place for affordable fresh and diverse food that serves the northern metropolitan community
  • Protecting the existing traders so they can continue to operate through the redevelopment and in the future.