NEW rent, fees and charges have been announced for the new Melbourne Market.
The step is a move closer to the opening of the relocated market in Epping in 2014/2015.
Minister for Major Projects Denis Napthine said rent details provided further certainty to market tenants in making business decisions as they moved from West Melbourne to the new Epping facility.
The rents represent a 64.8 per cent increase per square metre on current rents for stores, a 29.9 per cent increase for fruit and vegetable stands and a 5.9 per cent increase for flower market stands.
All storeholders will receive free office space within the trading floor building.
Dr Napthine said the facilities at the Epping market were world class.
"They provide market businesses with opportunities for expansion, greater productivity and vastly increased occupational health and safety standards," he said.
"This is compared to the constrained conditions at the 40-year-old Footscray Road site which does not offer tenants any opportunities for growth.''
Under the new rent structure, standholders will now pay the same rent per square metre for their stand area, no matter what commodity they're selling.
As it stands, flower market standholders pay significantly more for stands per square metre than standholders in the fruit and vegetable market.
Dr Napthine slammed the previous Labor Government for its management of the market redevelopment.
"The market project suffered under the previous Labor Governments mismanagement resulting in massive project delays, a huge blowout in costs for Victorian taxpayers and uncertainty and confusion amongst market tenants," Dr Napthine said.
"Without the additional Coalition Government funding, rents would have increased to well over double and even triple the current levels."
