LARGE NEW ALFRESCO DECK IN ESSEX STREET

Good to see that a large alfresco deck has been constructed in Essex Street, in front of where the Istanbul Turkish restaurant used to be. But who is moving in, and what type of new restaurant will Fremantle be getting? Does anybody know?

Roel Loopers

FREMANTLE ACTIVATION HAS STARTED

Some photos I took around lunchtime on Sunday of the activation in Fremantle. there is no doubt that the FOMO food hub is attracting a lot of people, and so is Peggy’s.

Roel Loopers

PRINCESS MAY PARK IMPROVEMENTS REQUIRE ACTION INSTEAD OF PROCRASTINATION

I had a wry smile on my face when I read the suggestion in the Fremantle Herald by Clancy’s Fish Pub manager Tom Fisher to make Princess May Park into Fremantle’s ‘Central Park’

Maybe Tom was still busy playing great music when many years ago the Fremantle Council did extensive community consultation and a Masterplan for Princess May Park, that would see real improvements and legibility, make it safer, and connect it to the Hilton Doubletree hotel, that was supposed to be built there, but that is unlikely to ever happen.

Tom Fisher’s suggestions makes me wonder, yet again, how many more masterplans Fremantle Council will produce, without ever acting upon them. We have masterplans for the Esplanade, Pioneer Park, South Quay, and probably for the next Winter Olympics as well, but procrastination appears to be a feature for all forms of government, be that local, state or federal.

Sorry, Tom, but if you want real improvements at Princess May Park, you’ll have to do it yourself. Fremantle Council has no money unfortunately, although the park has so much potential to become a real community destination.

I love the suggestion of an Aboriginal name for the park. That might be the only thing that could be realised by the City of Fremantle.

Roel Loopers

ACTIVATING THE FREO CAPPUCCINO STRIP

If the information I have received is correct, it will be fantastic news for the Fremantle CBD, especially the Cappuccino Strip, that has many vacant properties.

According to my informant the Kahuna Brewery has been sold and a good and experienced hospitality operator will do extensive renovations of the building, before opening.

According to my information the long-vacant former Hungry Jacks building, on the corner of Essex Street, will also become a new hospitality venue. That would be great, because it is a dirty eyesore.

Roel Loopers

FREO FOMO FIESTA FUN

Nice to see a lot of families enjoying the Fremantle FOMO Fiesta at Newman Court today. It is going all day until 7pm, so come along!

Roel Loopers

A PRECINCT VOICE FOR FREO’S INNER CITY

The renewed South City Precinct Group is kicking off again with its first meeting this Wednesday 4 May, 5–8pm at the Walyalup Civic Centre (Moodjar Reception Room, Level 1).

Everyone is welcome to attend and engage on a range of local topics.

This is good news, as many inner city residents have not felt represented by FICRA, that only appears to be interested replacing anyone on Fremantle Council with Liberal party candidates. FICRA is rarely active throughout the year and only surfaces before elections. That was very different when Rob Harrison was the excellent convenor.

But why is the precinct group named South City Precinct Group? There is already a South Fremantle Precinct Group, so the name is confusing and should be changed to City Centre Precinct Group.

Anyhow, I’ll be there to have a listen and see who is running the group.

Roel Loopers

UPDATE!!!!!!!The City of Fremantle just advised me this meeting has been postponed!

FREMANTLE ALSO NEEDS A BOOST, NOT JUST PERTH, MARK McGOWAN!

The extremely Perth-centric WA State Government is pouring millions of dollars into the Perth CBD to try to activate it and bring people back into the city. In principle there is nothing wrong with that, but where is the financial support for Fremantle, that is also desperate to get the city re-activated to help our struggling traders? Not a cent!

It is not anywhere near good enough that Freo always only gets a few crumbs from Mark McGowan.

• McGowan Government invests $12 million to boost foot traffic in the City
• Package includes a $4 million event grants program, providing funding of up to $100,000 for individual events
• $1 million will be provided to not-for-profit Activate Perth to revitalise vacant shop spaces
• $7 million will be invested in Yagan Square precinct, creating business and local job opportunities

Roel Loopers

WHY WAS WILD FREO A LAME DUCK?

I am going to have another rant about the WILD FREO Street Arts Festival we had over the Easter long weekend. I keep thinking about the potential and missed opportunities, and that it just was not good enough. I want our Councillors to review the festival and how much money was spent on it, and I want the administration to do the same.

Wild Freo was a great concept badly executed, in my humble opinion. It was promoted as a festival where animals would take over the inner city of Fremantle, but no such thing happened. Where were the dozens of people dressed up as animals roaming the streets? They would have added an element of surprise and good photo opportunities.

Where were the hundreds of birds, wings flapping in the breeze, suspended over Walyalup Koort, or the High Street Mall, or the Esplanade, or all of the above? Where were the sounds of birds coming out of speakers all around the city centre?

Where were the dozens of bats suspended from the ceiling of the Whalers Tunnel? Where was the bold and brass and sense of entertainment? Why were 1,000 kids not given one of those bird whistles the man in front of the Fremantle Markets sells? They would have made an awful noise, but it would have been a lot of annoying fun.

And did really no one, none of the organisors or artists consider how people would view the massive whales painted on the grass of the Esplanade? Did no one consider there needed to be a natural elevation or man-made ones for viewing? That is akin to inventing a submarine without realising one needs oxygen to breath under water. The whales could have been painted in front of the Walyalup Civic Centre, so that they could have been viewed from the top of the grassy slope.

Fremantle is so desperately in need of good activation and our battling traders are so keen to see improvements, but Wild Freo made me shake my head and ask WTF?!

Street art festivals need to be on the streets and need to entertain. The great thing about them, and public art in general, is that they are in your face. One does not have to do anything at all to enjoy a street arts festival, it’s there to be enjoyed when one walks through the city.

But Wild Freo was not! It was mediocre and provincial. It was a great idea wasted. Maybe it would have been O.K. for a country town or a community festival, but not anywhere near good enough for a major festival by the City of Fremantle. It needs to be investigated why that was, because a community event like the South Fremantle Festival of Light, organised by volunteers, offers more entertainment than Wild Freo did.

Roel Loopers

WILL WILD FREO BRING ENOUGH ACTIVATION?

Amateur hour installation.

One of the whales on the Esplanade

I have to admit that I am feeling apprehensive about the Fremantle WILD FREO Street Arts Festival. I do realise the changes have been forced by the Covid pandemic and that Fremantle Council probably does not want 20,000 people gathering to watch buskers, but will the artworks be enough activation for the long Easter weekend and will they attract lots of people, so that our traders will benefit from it? I am not sure, based on only the tiny bits I have seen so far.

On the Esplanade they are painting huge whales on the lawn, but they are very difficult to admire from ground level, so where are the raised viewing platforms?

The work in the photo of the High Street mall looks like amateur hour and really is not good enough. It is wrinkled and some parts are already coming off the glass, so who installed it so badly?

Roel Loopers

LET’S ACTIVATE THE NORTH FREO BOWLING CLUB!

The City of Fremantle will call for expressions of interest to identify future uses for the North Fremantle Bowling Club.

The club is currently leased to a group that operates the venue for social bowls events, but North Fremantle locals have voiced concerns about lack of access to the facility.

In response to a petition received in September 2021, a reference group was established to consider criteria for an expression of interest process for the medium-term use of the club.

At the Ordinary Council meeting on Wednesday night Council considered the reference group’s recommendations and endorsed the EOI criteria.

Fremantle Mayor Hannah Fitzhardinge said the council’s wish was for the bowling club to be at the centre of social life in North Fremantle.

“The bowling club should be a place where the Fremantle community can come together, have fun, celebrate important events and enjoy each other’s company,” Mayor Fitzhardinge said.

Fremantle Council will look at other possible uses of the site, which could include a mix of bowls and other activities, or something completely different. It should ideally be a proposal that will increase the utilisation of the facility through a range of social and recreational activities and make it more accessible to the broader community.

The criteria for submissions include the ability to demonstrate ongoing utilisation of the facility of at least 60 per cent, that the facility is made accessible to the broader community with a diversity of uses, and demonstrating a collaborative approach to activating the site.

The use of the facility must also be complementary to neighbouring sites like the North Fremantle Community Hall and Community Farm, and have minimal impact on surrounding residents.  

Roel Loopers