22 May 2021

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




16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Coincidently I was there yesterday to take photos of the Preston Town Hall. I can't say I liked the area much, not that I was there for long. Anther area, the very multi cultural Coburg, which I was also unfamiliar with felt much more vibrant and less overwhelmed by car traffic. Vast car parks and big wide roads don't work well for me. In spite of that, I hope the market can remain much as it is but truly, the surrounds are unpleasant and I would not be against some redevelopment.

Student of History said...

Preston has to consider two things. The terrible neglect and poverty during Covid-19, and the growing population. So tip money into making the market more attractive and build new tall buildings near the railway station.

Hels said...

Andrew

I have been down a number of once-thriving shopping strips since Covid lockdowns ended and was totally depressed by the endless closures, neglect, lack of customers, peeling paint and ugly hand-done notices. I don't live anywhere near Preston, but I know exactly what you mean by less vibrant and unpleasant.

Have a look at the photo of Prahran Market that I just added to the post - smarter, newly renovated shops, more elegant floors etc etc

Hels said...

Student

Thank you. Two issues are immediately worth acknowledging. Firstly that Preston's population is going up at a fastish rate. Secondly while only 24% of Victorians live in rental homes, some 36% of Preston families live in rental homes. Yes I agree that new residences should be able to accommodate way more than one family, but it should not be at the expense of the space the has long been allocated to the market.

Parnassus said...

Hello Hels, Taipei has lots of markets, but I admit that I rarely shop at them. With my small needs it is often easier just to shop at the store. However, I see the same situation taking place. I live not too far from an area of many tiny shops that sell china, glassware, laboratory products, etc. I never know what I'll find when I walk down the street. However, they have been slowly going out of business, and at a very rapid pace since Covid. What is taking their place is new shops or chains that sell standardized merchandise, and developers are buying groups of these shops, tearing them down and building high-rise offices and apartments. In a few years this "wholesale" area will be completely gone. ANd what is replacing it will be unplanned and uninteresting.
--Jim

Hels said...

Parnassus

it seems the issue is that everyone needs whatever they need, and if the alternatives all close, the choices will be taken away from families. Yes the big supermarkets are more convenient and have more choices, but they are totally impersonal and they may not be able to meet our very specific requirements (kosher, vegan, halal, gluten free etc).

My in laws were a great example. They couldn't speak a word of English, so they loved meeting landsmen each week in the market. They knew in advance which traders spoke Hungarian, who spoke Czech and who spoke Yiddish.

Nikki - Notes of Life said...

Our local market hall was closed for refurbishment a few years ago and when it reopened it had lost all of its character. There are now half the number of "stalls" and they are actually more like little shops now rather than stalls. I don't know one person who likes what they've done to the market hall. Everyone used to use it as a short cut as it's between two streets (but they would browse the stalls at the same time). Now it's so much quieter, I'm sure people avoid it and walk the long way around instead.

Luiz Gomes said...

Boa tarde Hels, parabéns pelo seu excelente trabalho e matéria. Espero que seu filho estava bem em Tel Avive.

mem said...

I live not far from the market and a number of things strike me . Firstly Preston has a huge multicultural population and they need to be catered for and that the market is ideally located for the train and tram networks around it . This makes it great for shoppers but also a great place to live especially if you want to go car free. The market is an enormous sight and I really think that if the architecture is of a good quality all needs can be met . I think a lot of the reaction to this is due to it being pushed, peoples disillusionment with the quality of design and an attachment to what has been there for a long time and is working pretty well. It is good to see people demanding a better standard of design and outcome. Preston is changing , a lot of very well educated professional people who want put up with rubbish are moving in as its a great place to live hopefully they will get involved and help the long time Prestonites retain one of the gems of the area. .

Hels said...

Nikki

thank you for the comment. Two things strike me as significant:
1. Did your local Council question every customer and trader about their needs, before the first paint brush was even lifted? Without detailed research, it is no wonder that the results were disliked. And
2. Even though the changes were made to your market before Covid, is it possible that since Feb 2020, all shopping centres, strips and markets have simply died in the bum? It breaks my heart to see what happened to shops here.

Hels said...

Luiz

many thanks for caring about the safety of my son and his family. Joe's brother also lives in Tel Aviv and thank goodness he rang us every day during the rockets. All was well!

Hels said...

mem

Although I have never lived in or near Preston, I know that families treasure the heart of their suburbs. My mother was passionate about Lygon St Carlton, and Joe and I loved Chapel St Prahran. But change is so difficult to deal with, especially if the locals don't believe the changes are in their interests.

Thank you for reminding me. .. now I must go back and look at the architecture more closely.

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Hels - I hope the best solution can be found ... I love the celebration of culture via the stalls ... Oxford Market I loved when I was growing up ... and now Borough Market in London, and I'm sure there are others ... we definitely don't have anything similar down here. All the best - Hilary

Hels said...

Hilary

bless your heart, you have confirmed what I thought: you loved Oxford Market when you were growing up ... and now Borough Market in London. We largely loved the experiences we shared with our parents. And in my case, with my grandmother as well.

Anonymous said...

Prahran Market is nice but I expect produce is twice the price it is at Preston Market.

Hels said...

Good question, Andrew.

I am totally certain that markets have produce that is fresher and cheaper than Coles and Woolies. But it would be interesting to know if Dandenong, Preston and Footscray markets, for example, are cheaper and fresher than Prahran and Queen Victoria markets.