It will always be “lights on” at the Queen Victoria Market, when stallholders begin trading seven days a week and into the evening as part of the precinct’s $250 million redevelopment.
Currently the market can shut as early as 2pm and is closed two days a week, often leaving tourists wandering aimlessly in the afternoon as stalls pack up around them.
The new schedule could see the market open more than three times more often, with visitor numbers predicted to increase by 7 million.
Melbourne City Council research has predicted the annual turnover of the market could soar from $91 million to $690 million a year.
The announcements come with today’s release of the Queen Victoria Market renewal “draft master plan”, the last step in public consultation before the plans are finalised later this year.
Melbourne lord mayor Robert Doyle has boldly predicted that the refurbished market, with a new open plaza or park in its centre, would eclipse Federation Square as the most vibrant public meeting place in the city.
“During the day, in the evening and even into the night you’ll go down to market and the lights will be on,” Cr Doyle said.
In the latest plans, a move to build a customer car park under the market’s heritage sheds has been abandoned, thanks to council’s recent $76 million purchase of a collection of warehouses and shops formerly owned by the Munro family.
The newly-acquired block of land on the corner of Queen and Therry streets is now likely to become home to an above-ground customer car park.
Queen Victoria Market trader representative Greg Smith said the purchase of the Munro site had “in that sense has been a bit of a lifesaver”.
Traders had been extremely concerned about future disruption caused to their businesses by construction works and many were fiercely opposed to the new large underground car park for that reason.
Details sought
After receiving a briefing on the draft plan on Wednesday, Mr Smith said he was pleased that the plan covered all aspects of the market, but “what’s missing is detail and traders need detail to see if there is going to be any impact on them”.
It is envisaged the redevelopment will see a number of new traders introduced to the market in times when existing stallholders are not open. Others may choose to put on more staff so they can stay open longer.
This could result in a four-fold increase in jobs in the market, with staff members swelling to 12,000 according to council research.
A number of physical components of the renewal, including a realignment of Franklin Street, were already locked in last year when council signed an agreement with the state government.
That agreement saw council receive a block of land off Franklin Street. This site is likely to include an apartment development and Cr Doyle said on Wednesday that he would push for affordable homes to be built as part of the project.
Works are set to start the market by 2016, with a new Franklin Street alignment and new car park to be completed by 2019. The public open space is set to be finished by 2022. Visit participate.melbourne.vic.gov.au for more details.
This story first appeared in The Age
