Subiaco.
Camera IconSubiaco. Credit: Supplied/Supplied

Markets an icon worth preserving

Staff ReporterWestern Suburbs Weekly

For decades, the Station Street Market has been full of vitality, attracting more shoppers to the area, as Dean Scott of Subiaco Square newsagency has appreciated (Your Say, Western Suburbs Weekly, August 26).

Hooray too for Humphrey Boogaerdt in the same issue for pointing out in his letter the heritage value of this popular market. His innovative suggestion of developing the site as a covered market with offices on first floor and apartments above that storey is very enticing ” and in line with much-needed higher-density living along main transport routes as Perth’s population burgeons.

Then the market and extra residents could enjoy the proximity to Subi railway station and bus services, the 50 or so stall owners’ livelihoods could be maintained and we citizens could continue to enjoy ‘bumping into’ each other’s familiar friendly faces as we do our weekly shopping there.

Rebuilding the Station Street Market this way on its present footprint would take some time during which the present stallholders should be assisted to run their businesses locally elsewhere. Maybe that idea of the Forrest Square car park by Rowland Street could be used during this transitional period – just a thought.

PerthNow Digital Edition.
Your local paper, whenever you want it.

Get in front of tomorrow's news for FREE

Journalism for the curious Australian across politics, business, culture and opinion.

READ NOW

If Subiaco council would reduce the rates that site owner Bruce Brown has to pay, until a viable and reasonable interim strategy was established, that could enable the market to keep operating right through this transitional period until the stallholders could return.

These days, it’s the Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority dominating planning our suburbs, and we have a State Government, besotted with big high-rise developments, riding roughshod over local input.

Many thousands of people have signed a petition to protect the Market. I hope the planning authorities will listen to people’s ideas about this icon at the heart of Subiaco.