How to Make a Submission: Preston Market Development Plan

This guide will help you prepare a submission to the Minister for Planning regarding the draft Preston Market Precinct Development Plan. You can make your submission as brief or as detailed as you wish—the most important thing is that you make your submission before 14 October 2026.

You can make a submission as an individual, or as a part of a business or organization. If you do make a submission on behalf of a group or organization make sure to emphasise that your submission represents a collective of people!

Each of your friends and family can also make a submission, and the more submissions they receive regarding the market the more powerful our voice will be in opposing the problematic aspects of the market. Encourage them to do so!

Links to use:

The Save The Preston Market Action Group statement on the proposed Development Plan: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oF-zRsBUctOrZuPc1ouU3CUhDLaqYJpUwhKFYDDHYnQ/edit?usp=sharing

Make your submissions here: https://engage.vic.gov.au/project/draft-preston-market-precinct-development-plan/participate

The available details on the development plan are here: https://nginx.deploy-lagoon-production.district-engage.dh1.amazee.io/draft-preston-market-precinct-development-plan

If you really want to get into the details you can compare the proposed plan to the Darebin Planning Scheme for Preston Market, which can be found here: https://planning-schemes.app.planning.vic.gov.au/Darebin/histories/VC278/ordinance/18252013

The Super Quick, Ultra Easy Submission:

A personal submission is best, but if you are unable to do that you can simply copy and paste the below message into the submission website, edit as needed, add your details where appropriate, and submit:

My name is [insert name], and I am writing to register my opposition to the proposed Preston Market Development Plan. This plan, including the demolition of significant parts of the market and the intense development, does not respect the market as the social and cultural Heart of the Northern Suburbs. It will damage the social and cultural fabric of our community, as has been made loud and clear. Furthermore the consultation process is inadequate and ought to be extended, and we ought to have further feedback on any developments of the plan in the future. Ultimately, Public Acquisition is the best way to ensure that our market is preserved for generations to come.

Kind regards

[insert name]

Submission Format: Essential Elements

Every submission should include the following basic information:

Your name and preferred contact details
Whether you represent a group (if so, nominate one person as the group's representative)
A clear statement of whether you support or oppose the proposal, or specific parts of it
Your reasons for that position

Structuring Your Submission: A Flexible Framework

You can structure your submission however you feel most comfortable. Below is a suggested framework that allows you to include as much or as little detail as you wish.

Section 1: Introduction

State who you are and your connection to Preston Market. For example:

"I am a resident of [suburb] and have been shopping at Preston Market for [X] years. I am writing to express my concerns about the draft Preston Market Precinct Development Plan."

This section can be one or two sentences. Its purpose is to establish your perspective.

Section 2: Your Key Concerns

This is the most important part of the submission - if you only do this section and leave the rest that is absolutely fine.

This is where you can express how the development would affect you personally. You do not need technical language - just write express how you feel in whatever way feels best to you. Remember to be polite - abusive language could get your proposal dismissed or redacted.

Questions to consider:

What does Preston Market mean to you personally? (e.g., cultural connection, family connection, community gathering, affordability, fresh food access etc)
Whether you think the Market will survive such intensive development.
Whether you are happy that significant portions of the market will be demolished
Whether you think the sections that are demolished will survive the process
Whether yourself or people that you know will still feel welcome at the market and use it as they did before
What you think of the introduction of large retail outlets to the immediate area, and how this will affect the market.
How the the proposed towers (8–16 storeys) will affect your sense of the area.
How would changes to the market affect your daily life or routine?
Are you concerned about the scale, height, or density of the proposal?
What would be lost if the market's character changes?

Section 3: The Consultation Period:

If you have thoughts about the two-week consultation period, or the fact that as a community we will be locked out of the process once the Minister makes their decision in late October, include them here.

Section 4: Technical Concerns (Optional)

If you wish to engage with the technical aspects of the proposal, you can address specific planning matters.

You might want to write about:

Do we need this level of density considering the Preston Activity Centre is going to add up to 15,000 new dwellings in the immediate vicinity?
Heritage and Market Retention: will the Market’s heritage and culture be retained with this plan?
Built Form and Height (the proposal includes 8 towers ranging from 8 to 16 storeys): are these heights appropriate to surround the market?
Open Space and Amenity: is there enough considering that Preston lacks open space?
Traffic, Parking, and Access: Will there be sufficient access considering the massive increase in retail outlets but a similar amount of carparking, as well as the additional traffic due to the 900 residences?
Affordable Housing: 10% of dwellings will be provided as “affordable housing” - does this mean that the housing will actually be affordable?
Market Continuity - does the proposed Market Continuity Plan and the final outcome adequately facilitate the continued life of the market throughout the development?

Section 5: Your preferred outcome:

Write out what you think ought to happen with the market, whether it is modification to the existing plans or to reject them in favour of another option which you think will have a better outcome for the community.

Tips for an Effective Submission

Be specific about which parts of the proposal you are addressing
Use headings and dot points to make your submission easy to follow
Provide examples or evidence where possible
Be respectful—submissions containing offensive language may be redacted or not accepted
You do not need to respond to every part of the documentation—focus on what matters most to you