HIGH STREET UPGRADE INFO TODAY!

 

 

Come along to the drop-in sessions to see the draft concept plan and speak to the project team of Main Roads WA, who will be available to answer questions.

Drop-in anytime TODAY from 4pm to 7pm on Monday 30 April or 3pm to 6pm on Thursday 10 May at Stackwood, Stack Street, Fremantle.

View the draft concept plan and read more project information on the website – https://project.mainroads.wa.gov.au/home/southmetropolitan/highstreet/Pages/default.aspx

STATE SUPPORT FOR LOCAL MUSICIANS

 

I just picked this up on Facebook from WA Premier Mark McGowan, so Fremantle musicians take advantage of it and try to get your fair share of government funding and support!

Roel Loopers

FOOD TRUCKS AT THE SWAN RIVER TONIGHT

 

It feels like summer has returned to Fremantle so the Under the Bridge Foodtrucks are doing the same and will be at the East Street jetty today from around 5-9pm for the last time this season.

Great food and great community vibes, plus stunning sunsets at the port.

Roel Loopers

THE ART OF MENTAL HEALTH

 

 

There is an interesting new mural artwork in Fremantle on the corner of Queen Victoria and Parry streets.

The Share Your Headspace work was done by artist Rene Brink in collaboration with Freo student Kate Gunnel and is about mental health awareness.

Roel Loopers

FREMANTLE PORT’S MIGHTY TUG BOATS

 

 

I love Fremantle’s working port. There is no day that goes by that I don’t drive onto the South or North Mole or go for a wander along Victoria Quay.

I love the always changing scenery of vessels arriving and departing, the sound of containers being put on trucks and majestic huge cruiseliners turning in port on a coin.

I took the photos of this mighty little tug boat yesterday morning just after nine o’clock.

Roel Loopers

BIG FINES FOR ANZAC DAWN SERVICE DRONE

 

A professional pilot and drone expert told me yesterday that the operator of the drone at the Fremantle ANZAC Day dawn service at Monument Hill would get a big fine if CASA-Civil Aviation Safety Authority prosecutes the photographer.

The drone photography was commissioned by the City of Fremantle and considered a nuisance by many of the spectators as its buzzing sound interrupted the respectful silences at the dawn service.

According to my expert drones can’t fly before sunrise and after sunset, can’t fly within 50 metres of people, and the airspace above Monument Hill would have been restricted for the fly over of the airforce jets, so no other aircrafts were allowed anywhere near it.

The fine could be as high as $ 9,000 according to my expert.

There are a lot of people who have no idea about the rules and regulations of the use of drones. The tiny aircrafts are very popular because they are great tools for photography, aerial surveys, etc. so public education about how, where and when to use them is essential.

Roel Loopers

Info on drones: https://droneflyer.com.au

STORIES OF NYUNGAR DANCING PERFORMANCE

 

 

I have been reading the fascinating Dancing in Shadows book about Histories of Nyungar performance by historian Anna Haebich and recommend it to anyone interested in the history of our local Wadjuk Nyungar, and all the indigenous people of Australia.

The book published by UWA was gifted to me by my generous mate Paolo Gumina and I can’t thank him enough! I have already learned so many new things about WA’s Nyungar history in the first 100 pages.

The book is about corroborees  and dancing and The power of Indigenous performance pitted against the forces of settler colonisation and is a fantastic read.

One important fact I learned is that with 40,000 people our WA Nyungars are the largest Aboriginal group/tribe/nation in Australia.

The book launch was held at the New Edition bookshop in Fremantle’s High Street, so they will have copies for you to purchase. Go and get one today!

Roel Loopers

FREMANTLE SEEKS MANAGER ARTS&CULTURE

 

The City of Fremantle offers you the opportunity to become a valued team member in an organisation committed to its people and community. Consider us when planning your next career move and help us make Fremantle a great people place and a great place to work.

Position details

Position number: 75_18

Applications close: 16/05/2018

Type of appointment: fixed term full time

Business unit: Arts and Culture

Description Fixed term, 4 years, full time Remuneration package:  $141,400 – $162,000 per annum inclusive of superannuation.   Develop and deliver the City’s Culture and Arts Plan Develops programs which drive development and support for arts organisations Manage and oversee the arts grant funding program The Organisation The City of Fremantle is located approx. 18km southwest of the Perth CBD and is home to about 31,000 people. It includes the suburbs of Beaconsfield, Fremantle, Hilton, North Fremantle, O’Connor, Samson, South Fremantle and White Gum Valley across an area of 19sq km. Bounded by the Swan River and the Indian Ocean, Fremantle is widely regarded as Perth’s second city and is still home to the state’s busiest and most important cargo port. Fremantle’s unique character is captured by its landscape, heritage architecture, music, arts, culture, iconic festivals, retail stores, markets, cafés and restaurants, which all contribute to its village-style atmosphere. It is the most visited tourist destination in WA outside Perth CBD. Fremantle has developed a reputation for being gritty, eclectic and quirky as well as creative, musical and artistic. This experience is reflected in the City’s four aspirational brand pillars: eclectic and quirky, culturally significant, vibrant: and welcoming and inclusive. The City of Fremantle employs more than 400 people and delivers a diverse range of over 100 services to the community.   The Position We are seeking a dynamic, strategic thinking and collaborative professional to lead the Arts and Culture team.  We are seeking a leader experienced in planning and the delivery of innovation and contemporary arts and festivals thinking who will be responsible for new and enhanced approaches to servicing our Arts and Culture community. Reporting to the Director Community Development, you will lead, develop and deliver the culture and arts plan for the City of Fremantle, including public art, festivals and events and the Fremantle Arts Centre. With outstanding leadership and people skills, you will be able to work collaboratively, building positive and proactive networks across a range of stakeholders.  Experience in leading teams will be essential, as will a proven ability to manage in a local government setting. To discuss this opportunity in more detail please contact the Director Community Development Fiona Hodges on 9432 9619.  Applications close 5pm Wednesday 16 May 2018.

GOOD ENOUGH NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR FREMANTLE

 

It is rather strange that the Fremantle Herald front page this week features a letter to the editor about JDAP rejecting the Woolstores shopping centre site development plans, instead of publishing an editorial about it.

There is little reason for the Fremantle Society president to gloat about the JDAP decision because it would not be in the interest of Fremantle if the development plans are abandoned. However Silverleaf Investments also need to be aware that second best and it’s good enough will not be accepted in Fremantle.

To realise Fremantle’s rejuvenation, that will hopefully kick start the economic recovery, we need development investors like the Match Group, Sirona Capital, Silverleaf, and others, but they know Fremantle Council is so desperate for new development that developers think that just about anything will be accepted.

The Fremantle Society during my presidency fought tooth and nail to stop PSA 49 but pressure from the then owners suddenly saw Council approve 11 storeys on the Woolstores site, when Mayor Brad Pettitt had only days before expressed he would not vote for double digit development, so nine storeys would be the maximum.

But PSA 49 was very clearly about only granting additional discretionary height if development was of excellent design quality, and the Woolstores plans, rejected by Fremantle Council and the WA Joint Development Assessment Panel-JDAP, clearly were not.

It appears that developers and architects still have not got the message that the Fremantle community demands creative and innovative design, and sadly Fremantle Council, JDAP and the State Administrative Tribunal also still have not got that point, as they have too often allowed mediocre development that is hurting Fremantle’s unique character. Council is so desperate to achieve rejuvenation of the inner city and economic recovery that it overlooked design flaws, out of fear of upsetting developers.

The new Sirona Capital buildings at Kings Square are not outstanding and neither is the planned and approved Hilton Doubletree hotel development on the Point Street carpark site. The LIV development along Queen Victoria Street is repetitive boredom and the Quarry Street side of it is architecturally so unresolved that it hurts my eyes and soul.

In the development pipeline are also the already approved very boring eight storey development next to the Australia Hotel and the equally uninspiring Little Lane development on the former Spotlight site next to Target.

I do get it that developers want to make as much money as they can and I don’t have a problem with that, but the JDAP rejection of the Woolstores proposal should send a clear message that if you want more money making floorspace and height you will need to offer Fremantle something special and unique.

Not only did Fremantle’s Design Advisory Committee expert panel express that the Woolstores design was not excellent, so did the three architects who spoke for the Fremantle Society, and other architects JDAP panel member Councillor Rachel Pemberton consulted had the same opinion.

I also talked to three well-known local architects in Fremantle who told me the composition and balance of the plans were all wrong and that piecemeal changes to the design would not lift it to the highest architectural standards required to receive the bonus height.

Fremantle wants and needs development. I love modern architecture and am not off the opinion that no new development in Fremantle should be above six storeys, but like most people in the community I want to see the wow factor when it comes to new buildings here.

It is very disappointing, and I agree here with the Fremantle Society president, that the Chamber of Commerce keeps supporting any development plans, no matter how inappropriate and uninspiring. For the Chamber the motto seems to be Any shit will do as long as it is new. I expect higher standards from our business leaders.

The rubbish that is often proposed might not do great harm in Cockburn or Joondalup but it would make Fremantle a lot less attractive to visitors from all over the world. The community will not accept that and developers, architects, Fremantle Council, JDAP and SAT should listen to us!

Roel Loopers

FREMANTLE ORIENT HOTEL FOR SALE

 

 

The Fremantle Orient Hotel in historic High Street is on the market for around $ 4.5 million.

The present owners bought the hotel about four years ago and invested quite a bit in it.

The building is in a great location in the centre of Notre Dame University campus and I hope it will remain a hotel as most other hotels in High Street have closed.

Roel Loopers