The fight for Preston Market wages on

Uncertainty still looms over Preston Market's future, as its private owners seek to redevelop the historic site. Local resident groups are petitioning the state government to intervene, Emily Findlow reports.

As redevelopment looms, Save the Preston Market action group is fighting for public ownership of the 55-year-old market. The market's owners, Salta Properties, had threatened to close the market years prior for 'redevelopment', and now local residents want the state government to step in.

“There are a number of different markets here in Victoria that are publicly owned, and we want Preston market to be publicly owned so we can save it for generations to come,” said Kathy Nemeth, a volunteer in the action group.

Preston Market sits conveniently next to High St and Preston train station. (Photo: Genevieve Spiteri)

The group is pushing for the local council and state government to purchase the entire site of the popular market, including the car park, “to retain Preston Market and to also keep it as an open public space being the nucleus and the heartbeat of this region,” Nemeth said.

Although extended 5-year leases were announced and signed by the majority of storeholders in 2024, active until 2029, the market’s future is still uncertain. The action group wants stronger certainty that the site won't change, following a heritage overlay in 2023, which only protects the market's outline.

“There was huge community outcry about how overdeveloped the site was going to be,” Nemeth said.

Nathan Lambert, State Labor MP for Preston and Reservoir, said "it's been a big difficult issue over a long period of time."

“November 2029 will come around quickly, and I think it’s important not to stop working on getting a solution that works for everyone,” he said.

After five years of gathering community support and pressuring both state government and Darebin council, the group remains determined.

“Our fight is nowhere near over,” Nemeth said. “This is a social justice issue for us.”

“We’ve got thousands and thousands of people that follow us on socials who are subscribed to our newsletters who are very vocal in opposition to the demolition of the market,” she said.

Although numerous action groups have been involved throughout the ongoing campaign, Save the Preston Market has played a key role in building community power.

“We’re all local people; we all volunteer our time,” Nemeth said. "Whether it's demonstrating... voting... buying our merch... volunteering for us... We have a huge community support base."

Lambert said the relationship between the action group and Darebin council was “quite complex” when the redevelopment debate began. “Council, of course, were for a long time the responsible decision makers,” he said. “Their planning people had planning views and of course different councillors had different views.”

However, a “joint love” for the market sparked a unique partnership between residents and council, who now find the market has become a social square.

“It is not just a place for anonymous retail transactions,” Lambert said.

“It’s a place for people to meet and talk and share as humans to humans, in a way that corporate supermarkets do not offer.”

Preston Market has 120 stalls, including a variety of produce, meat, bakery goods, cafes and other speciality stores. The market was sold in 2004 to Salta Properties, an investment firm, for $36 million, who have held the title since.

Foot traffic flows through Preston Market daily, which has become something of a social square for locals. (Photo: Genevieve Spiteri)

The market was conceived by Polish migrants Leon and Lola Jolsen, who bought the Broudhurst tannery to construct the market. Preston market is one of Melbourne's few privately owned markets.

“It’s a multicultural Nirvana,” Nemeth said. “It’s a place of inclusion, or has been, for over 50 years.”

“This is hugely important to our community, our culture, our heritage.”

Lambert said that although the “medium term future” of the market is “largely secured,” the long-term vision is unresolved.

“There remains work to be done to ensure we get an agreed, successful vision for the markets future,” he said.

“I don’t by any means think that the conversation is over.”