Victoria Market Update

The Victoria Market Development Plan does have some very serious opposition with stall holders expressing serious dissatisfaction with the City of Melbourne’s Plan as well as thousands of members of the public. Friends of Victoria Market Lobby Group, led by Phil Cleary have now released their alternative plan developed in concert with Melbourne Architect John McNabb. It claims their alternative plan is more respectful of the Market’s character and heritage than the Council’s current plan.

 

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Alternative Victoria Markets plan by John McNabb

The Alternative plan from the Friends of the Victoria Market Lobby Group and designed by Mr John McNabb, Architect includes a rooftop park and a 1100 seat amphitheatre.

Mr Phil Cleary the spokesperson for the Friends of Queen Victoria Market’s plan has pointed out that the McNabb plan ‘had no destructive excavation, and no ripping up of the heritage sheds. Mr McNabb’s design for a new elevated space on top of the existing parking area would add both car parking and further parkland’ he said.

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Alternative Victoria Markets plan by John McNabb

The group levels some pretty serious allegations towards the Melbourne City Council, Robert Doyle – the Lord Mayor and its current plan. The alternative ‘McNabb’ plan does not disturb the ground in a number of areas where burial plots still remain, but these would be totally obliterated under the current Council plan. The Friends group point out that the original Melbourne cemetery actually extends beneath sheds A + B as well as C + D contradicting the Council’s presentations. A major underground car park would see excavation under A + B certainly and probably under C + D according to the Friends group’s statement in opposing the Council’s plans.

More significantly, the Victorian era sheds would be totally removed during this process and current stallholders are anything but confident that there will be no significant interruptions to their businesses.

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It should be noted that the Victorian Andrews Government signed off on a plan to allow Council’s selected developer PDG to build a 42 level tower on land owned by Council across the road from the Market’s Deli. Alongside this tower a further tower of 30 storeys will be built featuring community services and affordable housing.

(Source: The Age, August 10)

 

Mr Cleary believes if the Andrews Government accepts the Friends of the Victoria Market alternative plan ‘they will win the hearts and minds of the stallholders and the thousands of people across Victoria who are passionately opposed to the destructive strategy of the Melbourne City Council”.

Let’s see what happens. Time will tell.

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Balance Architecture recognises the importance of the preservation of Historical Architecture. We specialise in the renovation and restoration of Heritage Buildings.

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