WOOLSTORES DESIGN CHALLENGES EXCELLENCE

 

 

Chairman Jon Strachan pointed out on Wednesday evening that this was not a formal meeting but a special meeting of the Fremantle Council Planning Committee, to deal with the aspects of applying or not architectural excellence to the development proposal for the Woolstores shopping centre site.

The Planning officers stated in the agenda that they believe design excellence could apply if specific modifications are undertaken by the developers, and the architects for Silverleaf Investments said they were quite happy with the recommendations.

Contrary to the initial plan of two bookend towers the north east tower is no longer part of the application, which makes it quite awkward to apply design excellence, but planning applications can only deal with the application and not with possible future plans or additions to a development.

The proposal has been going through 27 months of Silverleaf dealing with CoF planning staff and the Design Advisory Committee. That is commendable as they could have gone straight to the state’s JDAP for approval of their project and could have bypassed Fremantle Council.

Silverleaf director Gerard O’Brien pointed out there is only a narrow window for development as investors and future tenants demand certainty.

He said that Fremantle is losing people and businesses every day and that he never would have thought that Mountain Design is closing many shops all over Australia, including Fremantle.

I am only a custodian of the buildings we develop, O’Brien said.

Architect Ken Adams said that the over riding importance of the development is scale, bulk and form and that design excellence should have a chance of receiving awards from the Australian Institute of Architects. City of Fremantle Design Advisory Committee chair Geoffrey London said he could not disagree with that.

Adams also said, and I do agree with that, is that to not include the second tower in the development application was incredible. But Adams added that the two vertical elements are demonstratively awkward anyway.

DAC chair Geoffrey London said the last 27 months had been an upward process and that the application was certainly on the way to design excellence, but was not there yet. It is about scale and the urban setting.

Deputy Mayor Ingrid Waltham said she believed the site was the place for a landmark buildings and that it would take Fremantle into the 21st century.

CoF Director of Strategic Planning and Projects Paul Garbett said that internationally acknowledged design excellence was not just about the aesthetics, but also about character, continuity, public realm, legibility of the building, ease of movement, adaptability and diversity mix of use, and that is was a multi-dimensional approach to planning.

Mayor Brad Pettitt said he welcomed the boldness of the design and that they were making good progress in a very long process. This is a clear direction of where we want to be, Pettitt said.

Councillor Waltham asked if they could have some 3D design of the proposed buildings, while Councillor Jon Strachan put an amendment forward that sightlines from Cantonment Hill and other strategic points would be considered.

Councillor Adin Lang mentioned twice that he was elected on an economic recovery platform at the October election and hence would support the development proposal because it would bring more people and shoppers to Fremantle. That really is not a good enough reason for planning approval, so the young Councillor will have to learn what the Planning Committee is all about.

Now let me just be the Devil’s Advocate for a moment. Silverleaf gets design excellence from Fremantle Council and building approval from JDAP, but then decides it is economically better for them to not go ahead with the aged care tower. They could also only do stage 1 and leave the public carpark, which would mean Fremantle ends up with only a ten-storey tower at the south west corner at Queen Street of the site, that has a hotel and office accommodation and some retail below.

I personally would prefer that over the awkwardness of the two bookend towers connected by a long low-rise red brick building.

Roel Loopers

 

 

POPULAR SUPER BLUE MOON

 

First nibble of the moon

Second nibble of the moon

 

After the special City of Fremantle planning committee meeting about the Woolstores shopping centre site I had to stay to have a look at the super blue moon of course and drove onto the South Mole.

I took the first nibble of the moon with the Maritime Museum and the second nible of the moon with the old cranes.

My relocation for the final stages was not successful however as it was totally packed full at Monument Hill, so I could not get a spot to park.

Roel Loopers

NORTH FREMANTLE GOOD PROPERTY INVESTMENT

 

North Fremantle was the leading suburb in real estate price growth in 2017 according to REIWA.

Median house prices in North Freo jumped by 26.3%, with Applecross coming second with 24% and Dalkeith third with 20.9%.

Bicton also did well with a 17% increase in median house prices.

 

Roel Loopers

FREO LANEWAY FEST LINE UP

 

This is the line-up for the Fremantle St Jerome’s Laneway Festival that will be held on Sunday February 11, 2018 from 11am to 10pm on the Freo Esplanade.

Check out the Facebook page and website for more details and bookings.

Roel Loopers

FREMANTLE COMMUNITY ARTS GRANTS AVAILABLE

 

 

The City of Fremantle Community Arts Grants period for applications opens on February 1, so take advantage of the opportunity

Artists, arts organisations and community agencies are invited to apply and funding is available for arts projects and/or activities in any art form or practise taking place in the City of Fremantle.

For more information visit https://www.fremantle.wa.gov.au/community/arts-community-grants or call 08 9432 9999.

BON SCOTT FREO FESTIVAL

 

 

February 2018 marks the 38th Anniversary of the passing of rock legend, AC/DC lead vocalist and Fremantle local hero, Bon Scott. It is also the 10th anniversary of the Bon Scott Statue installation.

To mark the occasion, Bonfest Freo – A Giant Dose Of Rock ‘n’ Roll, will bring together musicians and music fans across the globe in a four-day weekend celebration (February 15 – 18, 2018). Taking place in beautiful Fremantle, Western Australia – the resting place of Bon Scott.

The festival features 13 events across 19 days in February 2018, giving rock music fans a giant dose of rock ‘n’ roll.

The Bonfest Freo festival culminates in the main event – the Jailbreak Concert – Whole Lotta Pipers – at Fremantle Prison.

AC/DC and Bon Scott fans – tick some big items off your bucket list (visit the Bon Scott statue, Bon Scott’s resting place in Fremantle Cemetery and go on a Highway to Hell tour of other iconic Fremantle landmarks) and get along to Bonfest Freo – A Giant Dose Of Rock.

FRINGE COMEDY WEDNESDAYS AT FREO’S NATIONAL HOTEL

 

 

In a world full of worries we have the need to escape sometimes, and laughter is a good remedy to battle negativity.

The Fremantle National Hotel is holding the FRINGE COMEDY SHOWCASE for the next four Wednesday, January 31, February 7, 14 and 21.

Shows start at 7pm. More details on http://www.national-hotel-fremantl.com.au

 

Roel Loopers

WOMEN DESERVE AND DEMAND RESPECT

 

The Fremantle Network at the National Hotel last night debated the unacceptable high instances of sexual attacks on women in clubs, pubs and during music events.

Rebecca Snedden and Will MacDonald of Safer Venues WA spoke about the need to raise awareness, collaborate with venues, the alarming statistics of prevalence of harassment on women, and what kind of harassment it is and what causes it.

Safer Venues WA did an online survey in which 80% of female participants reported harassment, unsolicited sexual comments, verbal harassment, non consensual touching, and intimidation by men in venues in Perth and Fremantle.

Of the women who participated in the survey 42% had left a venue because of harassment, but most of them had not reported it to the venue management.

Steps are being taken to address this in venues with better staff and security staff training, signage in venues, that victims coming forward will be believed, better gender balance of security people, musicians calling out from stage to respect women, etc.

It is also important for other people to call out unacceptable behaviour. It just takes one to step between a woman who is harassed and the perpetrator and to take her away from him.

Community lawyer Kate Davis said that only 15% of sexual attacks are reported to police and from that only 10% make it to court. Australia has an incredibly low rate of convictions for sexual assault, to the point that it has become a concern for the United Nations.

Often women who have complained about sexual assault are character assassinated in court and hence most don’t bother to report the crime because of the humiliation they face.

Western Australia has the highest rate of domestic violence in Australia and it has been growing alarmingly I read a couple of weeks ago, which is a clear indication that far too many men do not respect women and don’t treat them as equals. That is not on.

Here my message to men who don’t know how to behave toward women:

It is not manly, macho or blokey to assault women physically or verbally. It’s what cowards do, and it is a criminal offence!

Women don’t ask for it because they are dressed sexy, and you have no reason whatsoever to believe that they dress up for you to touch them, attack them, or insult them.

When you buy a women a drink you don’t buy the right to her body.

To make absolutely sure there are no confusing messages, let the woman take the initiative. If she wants to get to know you better and more intimately she will let you know in no uncertain terms. But even when she kisses and cuddles you she might still not want to have sex with you, so chill, relax and treat her with respect!

Roel Loopers

PROBUILD SUPPORT FOR KINGS SQUARE TRADERS

 

Probuild has commenced construction at King’s Square, Fremantle located at 10 William St, Fremantle WA 6160.

It is anticipated construction works will occur over a 20 month period.

Probuild appreciates that building sites generally attract a lot of interest within the local community. Accordingly, you are invited to join our online ‘Google Groups’ a community notification platform, specifically setup to communicate with local residents in the direct vicinity of the King’s Square, Fremantle construction site.

It is Probuild’s intention to keep local residents and business informed regarding our activities which we will do via Google Group. These updates may include advance notifications of traffic changes, road closures, works outside regular site hours, as well as key milestones including crane erection and project completion.

We therefore invite you to join us at Google.com – Probuild – King’s Square Fremantle

If you wish to participate in the King’s Square, Fremantle Community Notifications, please use the following instructions to join:

1. Visit the following link in any internet browser: https://groups.google.com/d/forum/ksfprobuild
2. Create a free Google account. You can use any existing email address when creating a Google account. If you have an existing Google account, you do not need to create a new account, simply login using your existing username and password.
3. Return to the Probuild – King’s Square Fremantle Google Group page by visiting the link above.
4. Click “Apply for Membership,” select “Send me an email for every new message,” then click “Apply to Join.”
5. A Probuild representative will approve your application and you will be able to view all posts in the Group.

FISH&SIPS AT FREO’S PORT BEACH

 

 

 

The Fish & Sips Festival celebrates this truly amazing part of Australia with its world class seafood and award winning wine at Port Beach in North Fremantle on February 2nd, 3rd & 4th. . Grazing and Tapas are the theme for the weekend, so you can sample all that is available with your free and purchased tokens.

The best of WA’s seafood suppliers including Abacus Crabs, Shark Bay Wild Prawns and KB Lobster will be bringing their produce direct to you, prepared to perfection by a number of WA’s finest Chefs including Anna Gare, Kate Lamont, Stuart Laws, Scott Bridger from Bib and Tucker and Don Hancey.

Combine this with some of WA’s most spectacular wineries featuring Vinaceous, Howard Park, Swings and Roundabouts just to name a few and you have a fantastic day out! There will also be a selection of WA’s exceptional brewers including Little Creatures, Matsos, Otherside and Black Brewing.
 

There are 5 sessions to choose from, all are packed with great entertainment from start to finish! Food demonstrations, Seafood 101 classes, Masterclasses, Beach BBQ’s plus all the action from the wine and food stalls. There will be Live music on the big stage at all sessions as well.

There are the additional events for presale ONLY.
Kate Lamont’s “3 Fish meet 3 Chardonnay” degustation dinner- $45. Be quick – some sessions have already sold out!
Giniversity Masterclass – $45. Taste, make your own blend and enjoy your personalised Gin Cocktail.

Anna Gare will have special guests Scott from Bib and Tucker and Don Hancey joining her for food demos over the weekend as well as roaming amongst the stalls talking “All Things Seafood”.
Other “Seafood 101” Classes will be running for all to learn the basics and see how these Chefs create their own twists on seafood.

Kids are free when accompanied by parents for the Friday Night, Saturday and Sunday Lunch sessions.
There will be special activities to keep them occupied and loving Seafood..

Saturday and Sunday Night sessions are 18+, with a big band and special guest DJ on the program.

Tickets are $25 (Glass and 3 special tokens included) with VIP Tickets available for $45 (Glass, additional access to special areas and extra tokens included), but hurry as some of the sessions have almost sold out.

Friday 2nd February – 4PM to 10PM

Saturday 3rd February – 11AM to 4PM
Saturday 3rd February – 5PM to 10PM (18+ event)

Sunday 4th February – 10AM to 4PM
Sunday 4th February – 4PM to 9PM (18+ event)