The City of Melville has agreed to allow the Palmyra Farmers Market to continue operating for the remaining three weeks of its five-week trial at Geo Thompson Park, concluding on Sunday 27 September 2026.
The Palmyra Farmers Market has been a valued part of the local community for more than 15 years and is widely recognised as an important community gathering place that supports local businesses, farmers and producers.
The City understands that the market has developed a strong and loyal following and that its connection to the Palmyra community is a significant part of its success.
It’s important to note the City did not initiate the relocation of the market from Palmyra Primary School.
Rather, the City was approached by the market operator after they were required to relocate from their long-standing location and sought assistance in identifying an alternative site from which the market could continue to operate.
Since that time, City officers have committed significant time and resources to assisting the operator to find a viable solution that would allow the market to remain within Palmyra.
This has included identifying and assessing possible locations, facilitating a temporary trial arrangement, coordinating community engagement, managing customer enquiries, supporting planning processes and waiving fees associated with the temporary use of Geo Thompson Park.
Finding a suitable location has proven challenging. Many City-owned or managed sites either lack the infrastructure required to support a market, such as access to power, storage and amenities, or are located close to residential properties where impacts may arise.
Geo Thompson Park was identified as the most suitable location available for a temporary trial while further assessment could occur.
During the first week of the trial, City officers identified a number of concerns relating to noise, traffic and local amenity, particularly during early morning set-up activities.
Advice obtained by the market operator indicated that, under the original operating arrangements, it may not be possible to achieve compliance with the State Government's Environmental Protection (Noise) Regulations 1997.
The City has a responsibility to ensure activities occurring on City-managed land comply with applicable legislation and that unreasonable impacts on nearby residents are appropriately managed.
However, recognising the strong community value of the market, officers were keen to explore every reasonable opportunity to assist the operator to continue the trial rather than ending it immediately.
Following discussions between the City and the market operator, a range of additional measures have been agreed to support the continuation of the trial while further assessment is undertaken. These measures include:
- Expediting power upgrades at Geo Thompson Park to reduce reliance on generators.
- Making an alternative access point available for stallholders further away from neighbouring homes.
- Arranging specialist noise monitoring, acoustic assessments and advice to identify further mitigation measures.
- Continuing MelSafe patrols to manage traffic, discourage illegal parking and ensure driveways and sightlines remain clear.
- Delaying the market opening time from 7.30am to 8.30am.
- Limiting early-morning bump-in activities, with only the fruit and vegetable vendor permitted to set up from 6.30am and all other stallholders from 7.30am.
- Requiring operational measures aimed at minimising noise during setup and pack-down.
- Installing a mobile CCTV camera to assist with assessing impacts on surrounding residents and local amenity.
These measures represent a substantial commitment by both the City and the market operator to determine whether a workable solution can be achieved that allows the market to continue while appropriately managing impacts on neighbouring residents.
The City acknowledges that there are strong views within the community regarding the future of the market.
Many residents have expressed strong support for the Palmyra Farmers Market, while others have raised concerns about noise, traffic and local amenity impacts associated with the trial location.
The City wishes to be very clear that no single resident, household or complaint was responsible for the City's earlier advice regarding the trial.
The City's assessment considered a range of factors including officer observations, noise, traffic, planning, operational requirements and residential amenity impacts.
The City respects the right of all community members to express their views and encourages discussions on this issue to remain respectful and constructive.
Residents should be able to participate in consultation and feedback processes without fear of criticism, speculation, intimidation or personal attacks.
The City does not condone harassment or attempts to identify residents who have provided feedback and asks all members of the community to respect the privacy and wellbeing of others.
The City's role is to carefully consider all relevant information and balance the interests of market patrons, stallholders, nearby residents and the wider community.
Supporting a valued community market and protecting residential amenity are both important objectives, and the City remains committed to working towards an outcome that achieves both wherever possible.
At the conclusion of the trial, information gathered through noise monitoring, traffic management, operational observations and community feedback will inform the preparation of a site-specific Noise Management Plan and assist the City in determining whether the market can continue operating from Geo Thompson Park on an ongoing basis.
The continuation of the trial does not predetermine any future approval. Any longer-term arrangement will need to demonstrate compliance with relevant State Government requirements and provide confidence that impacts on nearby residents can be appropriately managed.