STICK MEN AT THE WARDERS HOTEL SITE

On my way home from food shopping at Freo’s FOMO IGA I noticed these construction workers at the Warders Hotel development on the corner of William and Parry street.

The afternoon light was just right, so I took a few quick snaps.

Roel Loopers

WARDERS HOTEL RISING UP

The four-storey addition to the Warders Hotel, behind the former Courthouse and Police station, is progressing very well.

Great to see a new hotel being built in the Fremantle inner city. It is another project by our local developers Silverleaf Investments.

Roel Loopers

WARDERS HOTEL ADDITION GOING UP

The four-storey addition to the Fremantle Warders Hotel is well underway and going up. The development by Silverleaf Investments has already seen the addition of hospitality spaces and the public realm on the corner of William and Parry streets.

Roel Loopers

THE GREAT CATALPA ESCAPE DASH

Around 30 riders got on their bikes this Easter Monday morning for the Catalpa Dash from Fremantle Prison to the Six Wild Geese monument on the Rockingham foreshore.

There is little doubt that the Catalpa Escape is one of the truly great prison escapes in the world, when six Irish Fenians escaped from the Convict Establishment(Fremantle Prison) and rode by horse&cart, followed by the constabulary on horseback, to Rockingham, where they hopped in a whaleboat and rowed to the Catalpa, that was waiting for them off shore, hiding behind Garden Island. The ship took the Fenians to New York and freedom.

The six Fenians had been political prisoners in the Convict Establishment since they arrived on the Hougoumont in January 1869, and they escaped on April 17, 1876.

The bike ride Catalpa Dash today was in memory of the escapees, who were Thomas Darragh, Martin Hogan, Michael Harrington, Thomas Hassett, James Wilson, and Robert Cranston.

The Dash finishes at the Rockingham Catalpa Festival, which is on for two days.

Roel Loopers

HISTORIC WARDERS COTTAGES AT SUNSET

The historic Warders cottages in Henderson Street, that are now part of the Warders Hotel, nicely lit up at sunset, when I left the Old Courthouse.

Fremantle’s wonderful heritage is always a delight for me.

Roel Loopers

INCOMPLETE FREMANTLE OVAL CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN

The planned future development of Fremantle Oval will be significant for Fremantle, so we need to get it as close to perfect as possible. Whenever I am on the train and drive by Claremont Oval, it makes me very worried that we could get something similar here in the port city, and that would be a disaster, I believe.

The Fremantle Oval Conservation Management Plan has been the start of community consultation, but the assessment has mainly ignored that Fremantle Oval is part of the Buffer Zone of the World Heritage listed Fremantle Prison. The FOCMP assessed the future of the oval in isolation, instead of acknowledging that it is in the Buffer Zone.

There is concern by those keen to develop the oval, that the heritage significance of the area might create severe constraints on development at and near Fremantle Oval, but so it should be, I believe.

The World Heritage Lists states that “Fremantle Prison is part of the ‘Australian Convict Sites World Heritage Property’ and therefore management decisions that adversely impact its heritage values may impact the OUV of the Australian Convict Sites as a whole.”

The Fremantle Oval Conservation Management Plan in its current form has no reference to the Fremantle Prison Heritage Management Plan, so it does not address any of these important heritage protection issues.

Heritage experts believe that the current FOCMP needs a substantial redraft, so that the importance of the Fremantle Prison Heritage Management Plan is been given due consideration, so that it is understood by all of us.

We are already getting an inappropriate Police Complex within the Fremantle Prison Buffer Zone, that will destroy parts of the heritage significant Convict Establishment wall, so it is absolutely essential that Fremantle Council and the WA Government consider all these aspects before moving forward with any development plans for the oval.

Roel Loopers

FREMANTLE PRISON CLOSED 32 YEARS AGO

Here is a bit of Fremantle history for you all. Thirty-two years ago today, on November 8, 1991 Fremantle Prison closed its doors, after 136 years of continuous use as a place of incarceration.

It was built by convicts, sent over for punishment by the British Government, when WA became a penal colony in 1850.

Since the closure as a prison, Fremantle Prison has become a tourist attraction and has been put on the World Heritage List. It had 4.7 million visitors through the gates since 1991.

There is a lot of history between those walls, with hanging as capital punishment, but the most amazing part for me was the so-called Catalpa escape, when Irish Fenian prisoners escaped by horse and cart to Rockingham, where the American ship Catalpa was waiting for them to take them to Boston.

There are day and night visits to the prison, and also tours down in the canals under the prison in canoes.

Roel Loopers

JDAP APPROVES MASSIVE POLICE COMPLEX

It is very disappointing, but totally expected, that the Joint Development Assessment Panel this morning approved 3-2 the planning application for a massive $100-million Fremantle Police Complex, between the Old Synagogue and Fremantle Hospital on South Terrace, next to Fremantle Oval.

When a government panel assesses a government development plan one can not expect a fair hearing, although Fremantle Council’s Planning Committee unanimously rejected the plans. There were a massive 224 submissions from the community, and all were against the proposal, that is deemed too large, too high, too bulky, and disrespectful of the heritage significance of the site, but none of that seemed to matter to the panel, that only demanded a wee bit of architectural detail tweaking.

Member for Fremantle Simone McGurk told WA Today that many people in Fremantle wanted to see a significant police presence, but that is nonsense. Yes, we would like to see more police officers in Freo, but this building will be a regional police complex, so there is absolutely no guarantee that we will see more active police on the streets of Fremantle. Officers and support staff might walk around to get lunch or coffee, but there won’t suddenly be more cops on the beat, once the building has been completed.

If community consultation is as meaningless as it was this time, we might as well shut up…..until the next state election.

Now, when will we finally hear something about the Fremantle Traffic Bridge, Premier Roger Cook? Ignoring the Fremantle community is highly disrespectful and not acceptable!

Roel Loopers

POLICE COMPLEX WRONG BUILDING FOR THE HERITAGE LOCATION

It is clear that the Fremantle community does believe the big Fremantle Police Complex building is too big, bulky and high for the historic location within the heritage Convict Establishment. All 224 submissions received by the City of Fremantle oppose the proposal, but will anyone at the State Government take notice?

Fremantle Council can only send their recommendations to the WA Planning Committee, which is the deciding authority, as Public Works do not require local planning approval.

CoF officers say in the agenda of the Planning Committee that the City supports the use of the site for Civic Use, but that the design needs further refinements, such as the large shaft that sticks up behind the former Synagogue building.

The proposed building is four-storeys plus roof top plant, but according to the Fremantle Society it is as high as the eight-storey Johnson Court in Adelaide Street.

It would have the capacity to accommodate 358 police officers, so that would be good for Fremantle traders and public safety, but the design is not anywhere near respectful enough of the Wolrd Heritage Listed Fremantle Prison and the significance of the most western side of the historic limestone Convict Wall. To put it simply; it is the wrong building for that location.

The Planning Committee is sitting tomorrow-Wednesday from 6pm at the Walyalup Civic Centre.

Roel Loopers

DISCUSSION ABOUT PLANNED FREMANTLE POLICE COMPLEX

Join the Fremantle Politics in the Pub tomorrow evening, Tuesday August 29, at 7pm at The Local Hotel in South Fremantle.

Design Freo’s Rebecca Clarkson, Dr Brad Pettitt MLC, Councillor Adin Lang and this blogger will deconstruct the plans for the Fremantle Police Complex.

Come early, or stay on, for a meal and a drink and support The Local. See you there!

Roel Loopers