As a candidate for Lord Mayor for the City of Melbourne in this year’s local government elections, I want to address the challenges and concerns surrounding the leadership and significant disruption to customers and traders due to the Queen Victoria Market redevelopment. This follows Town Hall’s deliberation of this matter at their regular meeting last night.
The Queen Victoria Market redevelopment will see a 49-level student accommodation tower, a 46-level residential apartment block and a 28-level office building, along with an underground car park and a public park at the site of the open-air car park. Heritage and environmental concerns have been raised.
The project is worth a staggering $1.7 billion yet appears to be leaderless. Major and ongoing construction has been felt heavily by traders and customers alike who have experienced significant disruptions and financial strain over an extended period.
Markets like the Queen Vic Market play a crucial role in our economy, especially during a cost-of-living crisis. Markets offer an essential alternative for food security, enabling residents to purchase direct from the producer, not through multi-national businesses. It is essential that this project is prioritised so traders and customers can get back to business as usual.
Traders, residents and customers deserve answers to the following questions from Town Hall:
Why hasn’t the Northern hub commenced construction?
Why is it taking so long to get started on Queens Corner Building and Market Square?
Where are the approved plans for Queens Corner and Market Square?
Why have there been so many program directors coming and going? Who is accountable for the project as a whole?
Market Square has the potential to be a spectacular green space in the most densely populated edge of the CBD, but it is still a carpark. Why has Town Hall been spending so much time and energy on the failed Greenline, instead of Market Square?
The Queen Vic Market has gone from being a vibrant, financially stable tourist and shopping destination to suffering intense disruption and needing subsidising. It’s clear that the current leadership Town Hall is not up to the job of finishing this project. If elected, I will refocus the Council’s efforts, get the project done and complete the redevelopment on time and to budget.
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