How bazaar, how bazaar

DANDENONG’S new Afghan Bazaar will start to take shape next month.
City of Greater Dandenong councillors on Monday night awarded the $844,910 contract for the Thomas Street upgrade to 2Construct Pty Ltd, and the works should be complete by December.
The precinct has evolved organically since 2000 and today includes up to 20 Afghan restaurants and retailers selling fresh bread, carpets, groceries, fashion and jewellery items.
The council and the Office of Multicultural Affairs have jointly funded the $1.17 million project, recognising the Afghan Bazaar as one of Melbourne’s emerging cultural precincts.
Greater Dandenong mayor Angela Long said the project would elevate the Afghan Bazaar cultural precinct from being a ‘hidden gem’ to a ‘must see’ destination where residents could seek out individual speciality shops.
“It will deliver culturally-themed treatments, improved lighting and amenity, new seating, and enhanced landscaping, paving and urban design elements that build on the Afghan flavour of the precinct,” she said.
“We expect the project to encourage greater visitation and economic development opportunities for traders.”
Stage one works will transform a section of the central block of Thomas Street, between Scott and Walker Streets, where there is an intense concentration of Afghan traders. This will involve taking power lines underground to remove overhead wires and wooden electricity poles and adding new street lights using energy efficient fittings that will increase lighting levels.
Cr Jim Memeti said Thomas Street had been left behind during central Dandenong improvement works over the past few years.
“Hopefully the Afghan Bazaar will take off even further,” he said.
Conversations with the Afghan and non-Afghan communities and public consultations spanned several months and resulted in the unique urban design treatments that are a highlight of this streetscape design.
All cultural treatments and designs have developed from palettes of inspiration which reference traditional Afghan and Persian patterns.