FREO PLACES FOR FREO PEOPLE

The Politics in the Pub event last Tuesday was all about how to increase the number of residents in the Fremantle inner city. Fremantle Council has recently released public consultation for their City Plan, so make sure to voice your opinion online on the active city map.

We heard that the reason why South Fremantle is so vibrant and buzzing, is because it has a much higher population than the city centre, where there are many under-developed and unloved sites, that are crying out for good development. It is sad that many people can no longer afford to keep living in Fremantle, so we need more diversity and affordability of housing. We need Freo places for Freo people!

It is essential that we get more support from the Sate Government. They need to invest in density. It is frustrating they keep talking about plans, without implementing them. Where is aged-care Freo style, build-to-rent?

How will we get a planning system that will actually insist on high quality design that benefits the community? Medium to high density development demands public open spaces.

It is always good to keep an open mind when we talk about change and development in Fremantle. A city loses its soul when the people and businesses who make it are forced to leave. We need housing, food, and retail diversity.

It is absolutely necessary to protect our unique heritage, and it is highly unlikely that there will be substantial residential development in the West End. Keeping our heritage, means keeping our character. Perth is void of character because it allowed its beautiful heritage buildings to be demolished. But we are not honouring our heritage in Fremantle by having so few people living there. It used to be a lot busier in the past. We need to also activate the West End.

There are plenty of potential development sites, some already targeted in PSA 49, but also the former car yard site at Queen Victoria Street, the desolate Fremantle Malls, etc.

And last but not least. We need to become more radical and courageous when dealing with the State Government, that appears to be procrastinating when it comes to Fremantle.

The Politics in the Pub panel, in front of a full house, were Mayor Hannah Fitzhardinge, photographer and retailer Kate Hullett, Tod Jones of the Curtin University School of Design, with as MC Dr Brad Pettitt MLC.

Roel Loopers

WHAT COULD FREO’S CITY PLAN ACHIEVE?

Fremantle Council is embarking on a spatial vision City Plan, that will shape the future of our city for the next 20 years. With the help of the Freo community the City of Fremantle hopes to identify development priorities, and how best we might increase the number of inner city residents from the 2,800, it currently is, to 10,000 and more people living there.

The outcome of the City Plan will identify growth scenarios and strategies for various precincts, so what could they be? I put my thinking cap on, so below some of my contemplations and suggestions.

I believe the number one priority of the City Plan should be demanding diversity from developers. We don’t want only tall residential buildings with ground level retail, we also need 2-3 storey townhouses, apartments for families and singles, etc.

We also should insist on more creative architecture, because most medium and highrise apartment buildings I see are too much monotonous sameness. Level 2 looks the same as level 12, etc. and that needs to change. At large developments facades need to be broken up, so that they look like multiple buildings. We need to build good streetscapes and communities, that invite activation. For example I envisage an eight-storey apartment building, surrounded by townhouses, to break up the monotony. The public realm is as important as the aesthetics of buildings, and there is huge room for improvement there.

Fremantle Council implemented Planning Scheme Amendment 49 over ten years ago, identifying 13 inner city sites for substantial development, but not much has happened at those sites, but for the current Woolstores development by Silverleaf Investments. Sirona Urban also got plans approved for a massive eight-storey building with 250 apartments. That would bring around 500 new people living in the CBD.

For me the major failure of the Kings Square Redevelopment project was that it did not include a residential component. I would not have minded the buildings at Walyalup Koort going up as high as six storeys, if the two top floors had been residential.

There is a really good opportunity to build residential along Queen Street, between High and Adelaide streets. It would help the passive surveillance of Walyalup Koort, and activate the city 24/7 if many more people lived there. It is one of the PSA 49 sites and would allow for 6-8 storey buildings.

There have been calls that the inner city should not have any new tall buildings, and that they should be built somewhere else, but that is unrealistic I believe. It would severely restrict the growth and progress of Fremantle. I love townhouses, but they alone will not achieve the urban infill needed and the demand for housing by many thousands of people.

I would love to see the boring Fremantle Malls site, between William Street and Paddy Troy Lane developed into a mix of residential, offices, retail and hospitality. The Piazza, between South Terrace and Paddy Troy Lane, is also earmarked for development by its owners the Yolk Property Group, but sadly the current construction crisis is delaying many projects.

The twenty-year City Plan will also have to include Victoria Quay as a prime site for waterfront development, for when the working port moves to Kwinana.

Hesperia bought the Elders woolstores building opposite Clancy’s, so we can expect their plans for that site pretty soon. East of the Heirloom apartments is a big vacant site, where the car yard used to be, that could cater for substantial development with some height.

Plans for the development of Fremantle Oval are being considered, but there are calls that the significant convict establishment heritage site should prioritise parkland and open spaces, with respect to Fremantle Prison, without a residential component. I believe that would be an opportunity missed. The site is well suited for mixed development, with some low to medium rise residential buildings. It could offset the far too big new Police Complex, the state government will be building, and hide it a bit when coming from the east.

What the City Plan should emphasise is that developers need to build communities, and not just big concrete monstrosities. And above all, they need to always show respect for Fremantle’s heritage and the unique city it is. Cheap, run-of-the-mill development is disrespectful to Freo’s lifestyle. We want excellence and architectural innovation and creativity!

Roel Loopers