COMMUNITY CONSULTATION JUST TICKING A BOX IN FREO
Against the wishes of community consultation and the public members of the Cantonment Hill Working Group Fremantle full Council last night approved a 10+10 year lease for two floors of the Signal Station to the Fremantle Volunteer Sea Rescue group. Councillor Rachel Pemberton’s very sensible motion to make it into a 5+5 year lease so the City of Fremantle would be able to consider other options in ten years did not get the support from the only eight member council.
It was pointed out by members of the public who addressed Council that the Masterplan was all about the interest of the broader community and that community access to the tower was a prime criterium, and that remarks by Councillors that the lease fulfils all the aspirations for the site could not be further from the truth, but to no avail.
I believe it is naive to think the Sea Rescue occupation will create the required activation of Cantonment Hill. I doubt that the shifts will need more than four people to monitor communication, and those who man the rescue boats will no doubt be on those boats or close to them and not on Cantonment Hill from where it could take up to a twenty-minute drive on festival and event weekends to the Fishing Boat Harbour to hop on the boats.
No doubt the FVSR is an essential service that safes lives and that they deserve support from the Fremantle community, but there are other options and it is quite ridiculous to believe they need to be able to see the river and the ocean to do their job properly.
I do agree with Councillors that the building is far from ideal for an interpretive centre the community wanted there. The whole of Cantonment Hill could become an interpretation centre with modern technology allowing for interactive touch screens, phone Apps, motion triggered sound, etc all over the historic signal hill.
What is most disappointing about Council decision is that yet again the community will feel that they were ignored, as was the case with the Youth Plaza, the tavern at J Shed, etc. Council often gets criticised for being inconsistent in its decision-making but it has shown to be quite consistent in ignoring community input. Community cynicism will only grow because of that.
Roel Loopers
FREOVIEW - Fremantle's only daily 
Roel community consultation from council is clear
A box ticking,
Then to distract the community from their real agenda.
Strangely enough community consultations don’t contain the actual decisions council seems to choose and seemingly working groups quickly take shape with a group consistent with council agenda.
Esplanade
South beach basketball court
J-Shed
Signal station
McCabe St
Etc.
Without a serious change in council this will not change.
LikeLike
I have no idea what you mean lol, but you are quite clearly not brave enough to use your real name, which just makes you a very sad case really.
Roel
LikeLike
Looks like the solution to the basketball court is also… community consultation!!! Get ready for a summer construction project at south beach on already heavily used land, a court that’s too sandy and full of tree droppings to play on, and more wasted time, money, and effort for the city of Fremantle and its residents!
It appears they’re taking the approach of ‘bore and appease them and they will eventually go away’.
LikeLike
Do you consult your wife before you lay a brick in the porcelain palace or just do it because it’s best for everyone? your logic was left back in the 1950s sir.
LikeLike
Your last paragraph says it all Roel and it is accurate. Meaningful community engagement in Fremantle is a joke.
LikeLike