WHO SHOULD PRESERVE THE SOUTH FREMANTLE POWER STATION?

I really like the former South Fremantle Power Station, that was closed in 1985. The huge 71-year-old Art Deco building has something majestic about it in it’s minimalist architecture, so I am one of many who would like the building to be preserved and activated again. But are calls for the State Government to spend big on it, now that West Media millionaire Kerry Stokes has pulled out of buying the site, realistic?

According to news reports it will cost anything between $60 to $ 80 million just to do the necessary remedial work. The site is seriously contaminated, so it can’t be developed without trucking off thousands of cubic metres of dirty soil, to a depth one can only guess until work starts on it.

The buildings is one of only four cathedral-style power stations in the world and the largest one built in Western Australia, so it probably deserves the same kind of investment by the WA Government as the former East Perth Power Station has been given. Or are those who ask for that, such as Cockburn Mayor Logan Howlett, too sentimental and nostalgic about the current neglected eyesore? Do we have to be more pragmatic about preserving our heritage?

The former Barnett Government had huge plans for the site, even adding two storeys of residential apartments on top of the building, but at the end that was put in the too hard basket, while money was spent, some say wasted, on developing Elizabeth Quay in Perth.

It seems criminal to even suggest that the heritage-listed power station building should be demolished, because it is in very poor condition, with concrete cancer and rotting steel, but just preserving it will cost so much money that it is questionable if the State Government should use tens of millions of taxpayers’ money on it, so that private developers can make a killing out of it, once the site is decontaminated.

We need bigger and better hospitals, more social housing, school improvements and paying nurses more, etc. so would it be responsible governance to use money that might be better spent elsewhere? I have to admit I am in two minds about this and am sitting on the fence, which is very much unlike me.

This dilemma is not dissimilar to the old wooden Fremantle Traffic Bridge debate. Is it responsible governance to spend our money on retaining something that has no practical need? The State Government does not want to keep the bridge, Fremantle Council does not want the financial responsibility to have to maintain it, even as a New York style ‘Highline’ attraction, and the Fremantle Society has not found any private investors willing to buy the bridge and maintain it for some 50 years. As the former president and vice president of the Fremantle Society I sometimes ask myself if preserving heritage is more important than building homes for those who sleep rough, and if preserving the past is a bigger priority than looking after the future?

I love our heritage and wished that more WA millionaires would see it as their civic and corporate duty to invest in preserving it, but that only happens sporadically, and not anywhere near often enough, so what is the solution?

The South Fremantle Power Station site has enormous potential to become something very unique for Fremantle and Cockburn, even more so than the one in East Perth, but will the Perth-centric McGowan Government see it that way, I wonder? I doubt it.

Roel Loopers

SOUTH FREMANTLE POWER STATION FUTURE IN LIMBO

The future of the former South Fremantle Power Station is in limbo-again-after Kerry Stokes withdrew his offer to buy the neglected heritage building.

Due diligence work showed that it would cost up to $ 80 million for remedial work on the contaminated site and addressing the severe concrete cancer of the building.

The building and location are significant and could be an outstanding WA arts and community precinct, but it unfortunately looks that any development of the site is going to be far too costly.

Western Power has allowed the building to rot away for decades and that is an unacceptable demolition by neglect situation, that needs to be addressed.

Roel Loopers

WHO BOUGHT SOUTH FREMANTLE POWER STATION?

Reportedly the former South Fremantle Power Station has been bought from Synergy by an undisclosed buyer. Synergy has not named the buyer because of commercial confidentiality.

It was rather peculiar when the State Government mid last year announced it would go to an expression of interest period for the site of just eight days, but the energy minister said at the time that there had been more that a dozen interested parties.

The building is riddled with asbestos and it would cost millions to clean it up, as well as the contaminated soil around it, and the relocation of the still operating switchyard would cost at least $ 100 million, according to experts.

The State Government announced their big plans for the 70-year old building in 2014, that included 900 new dwellings, including four flours of apartments on top of the power station.

It is quite a stunning building, in my opinion, that would make for a fantastic cultural centre, hotel, apartments, etc. But is is going to cost a huge amount of money to develop it, and would require the State Government to start seriously contemplating lightrail along that corridor.

Roel Loopers

FOR SALE! SOUTH FREO POWER STATION

Here part of a WA State Government media release I just received:

A new future for the South Fremantle Power Station in North Coogee is a step closer with Synergy today advertising the start of an expressions of interest process to sell the iconic site.

Like many power stations of its time, redevelopment has proven challenging with the cost to remediate the site historically exceeding development value. 

Synergy will adopt a confidential sale process to explore sale options with developers that have the financial capacity and experience in developing heritage sites with remediation issues.

The expressions of interest phase closes on July 2, 2021. Subject to board approval, Synergy expects to announce the successful bidder in September 2021.

South Fremantle Power Station opened in June 1951 and worked in conjunction with the East Perth Power Station to supply the metropolitan area with power. The site has significant heritage value and was recently listed on the State Register of Heritage Places.

All sale enquiries and expressions of interest can be submitted to SFPS.EOI@synergy.net.au 

Roel Loopers

STATE HERITAGE PROTECTION NEEDS FINANCIAL COMMITMENT

WA Heritage Minister David Templeman came to B Shed on Victoria Quay early this Monday morning to announce that nine sites have been added to the State Register of Heritage Places.

“The registration recognises built and cultural heritage of these places and reflects the diversity of historic places across the State.”

Victoria Quay at Fremantle Ports and the South Fremantle Power Station are two of the new sites added.

I asked the Minister if there was a State Government commitment to preserve these significant heritage places or if the announcement of the listing were just nice words. I mentioned the neglect of the South Fremantle Power Station and the inappropriate plans for large movies studios at Victoria Quay.

The answer given by Minister Templeman was that adaptive re-use of heritage places was important and they did not need to remain as they were to preserve their heritage, with a mention of how great the adaptive re-use of the State Building in Perth is.

First of all building large concrete boxes on Victoria Quay can not be compared in any way to the adaptive re-use of buildings, as is happening with the Gage Roads development of A Shed on VQ. And to mention the State Building in the same breath as huge windowless movie studios is really stretching spin way too much for me.

Here in Fremantle we don’t forget that Arthur’s Head and the Roundhouse are WA heritage listed, but non the less been neglected for far too many years, and the work happening there currently is only part of what urgently needs to be done up on the historic hill.

Acknowledging heritage significance is irrelevant if one does not look after the sites. We need financial commitment, not just lovely words and token gestures from the McGowan Government!

Roel Loopers

BIG PLANS FOR SOUTH FREO POWER STATION

I am surprised to hear from the Member for Fremantle Simone McGurk that the State Government released a masterplan for the former South Fremantle Power Station site, as I was not aware of it.

Landcorp wants to develop the building and surrounding land into residential with 900 new dwellings and the Power Station at the centre of it. The previous plans for a large marina have been dropped.

The idea of residential apartments in the heritage-listed building is good, but the proposal to build more apartments on top of it, to match the scale of the old stacks, is a worry, as that would drastically change the architecture of the impressive historic building.

Landcorp also plans for  a rapid bus route to the area that could be changed to light rail, but that would require changes to Hampton Road.

Simone McGurk rightly points out that the relocation of the still in use switchyard on the northern side of the power station would cost well over $ 100 million, so is the State Government prepared to make that investment in what could become a great new asset to the enlarged City of Fremantle, once the council amalgamations have been implemented?

Roel Loopers