Preston Market traders will be offered five-year leases to bring an end to uncertainty about their future after a longstanding feud over a proposed residential development in Melbourne’s northern suburbs.
But the letter issued to stallholders on Tuesday suggested traders could be charged a higher rate for their leases in future, warning that operating costs had escalated at a rapid rate due to insurance for new heritage protections, state government taxes and the need to redesign the new site again.by Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny that private owners Salta Properties and Medich Corporation claimed would make investment in the market unviable. The long-running dispute became a political headache for Labor during the state election. The new local member, Nathan Lambert, suffered a 19.2 per cent swing against the party after preferences following a well-organised campaign to “save” the market. Planning controls were formalised in August after a years-long process, and owners on Tuesday confirmed that stallholders would be offered five-year lease