PORT BEACH ROCK WALL COMPLETED

 

 

The construction of a temporary rock wall to protect coastal assets at Port Beach from erosion has been completed by the City of Fremantle.

In December last year Fremantle Council approved the construction of a temporary rock wall as the preferred interim measure to protect facilities including the change rooms, surf club annex and the Coast Port Beach restaurant from coastal erosion.

The state government committed $200,000 towards the project.

The works involved digging into the existing dune, installing a geotextile membrane, construction of the wall, and the restoration of the dune in front and on top of the wall to maximise beach area.

The restored dune has been covered with hessian matting to prevent sand from blowing away in the short term. Work to revegetate the dune will be carried out in May and June.

Fremantle Mayor Brad Pettitt said it was good to have the erosion defences in place ahead of the first winter storms.

“The first big storm of the winter is generally the one that causes the most erosion damage so it was really important to get this work done to avoid a repeat of last year, when assets like the change rooms and Coast restaurant were at serious risk,” Mayor Pettitt said.

“Now that these protection measures are in place we can continue to work with Fremantle Ports and other government agencies to examine options for managing erosion at Port Beach for the next 20 years or so.

For beyond 2040 the council has adopted managed retreat as its preferred long-term strategy, in which all City assets such as the car parks and change rooms will eventually be removed from the erosion risk zone and set further back.

The state government’s Assessment of Coastal Erosion Hotspots in Western Australia released in August last year identified Port Beach as one of the two hotspots in WA at the most imminent risk from erosion.

In May 2018 a severe erosion incident undermined the southern car park at the beach, while in June last year another serious erosion incident threatened facilities like the change rooms, surf club annex and the Coast restaurant.

A report by coastal engineering experts received by Fremantle Council last year provided a number of potential management options which are now being reviewed and developed by officers, consultants and key stakeholders.

 

Roel Loopers

TEMPORARY HOUSING FOR HOMELESS IN NORTH FREO

 

There is an interesting development proposal that has a lot of merit before the Fremantle Planning Committee this evening.

Approval is sought for a temporary housing development as an interim use on disused land owned and reserved by the State Government for public transport (Railway) but currently not required for that purpose. The proposal involves 18 Self-contained single bedroom units to be managed by Foundation Housing.

Approval is sought for a housing development (18 Self-contained single bedroom units) to provide temporary housing (15 years) on land that is owned by the State Government and has been identified for long-term public transport uses. The proposal seeks to make use of (currently) surplus public land in suitable locations as an ‘interim use’ to provide housing for those in need through services offered by Foundation Housing. This initiative is known as ‘My Home’. Use of lightweight and ‘flat pack’ construction allows removal if and when the land is required for its reserved purpose.

Foundation Housing is a WA developer and manager of affordable housing for people in need. The ‘My Home’ is a new initiative to provide housing for homeless people at no cost to government. ‘My Home’ is a proposed 3-way partnership between government, not-for-profit and the private sector, and is based on the Housing First model.

This proposed development will be tenanted by homeless women over 55 years of age. Homeless people are from all walks of life, from many socio-economic backgrounds and all demographics. There is strong anecdotal evidence that a growing “hidden” group of people becoming homeless in Australia are single women aged over 55 years of age. Women in this age group may have spent many years raising children and are less likely to have accumulated sufficient superannuation to support themselves. Death of a spouse, divorce, lack of confidence to re-enter the workforce, outdated work skills and poor financial management all contribute to an older woman finding herself homeless.

Each unit is single storey in form and 30m2 in area with a bedroom, kitchen, living and bathroom space. There is also a shared laundry and storeroom facilities. The site is to be landscaped with vegetable gardens, fruit trees and outdoor living spaces. The development is to be configured in a side by side row housing design. Eight (8) communal car bays are provided for the development to the south of site.

Roel Loopers

PHOTO FOCUS ON FREO’S LEIGHTON BEACH

 

 

I don’t go to Leighton Beach very often so decided to give myself an assignment today and do a photo feature on the development and leisure at the North Fremantle beach.

I discovered the lovely MRKT SPACE cafe, boutique bottle shop and food finery, and the beach chairs at the kiosk are very popular with the young people.

Roel Loopers

THERE ARE NO SIMPLE PORT SOLUTIONS

 

 

About one hundred people turned up at the North Fremantle community hall on Tuesday evening to ask questions about the future of Fremantle Port, which were answered by Nicole Lockwood, the chair of the Westport Taskforce, Ports CEO Chris Leatt-Hayter, Curtin university professor Peter Newman and Fremantle Mayor Brad Pettitt.

In the audience were also members from the Fremantle Inner City Residents Association and Fremantle Society president John Dowson, as well as Fremantle Councillors Jones, Archibald and Sullivan.

Nicole Lockwood told us that the so-called Blue Highway of putting containers on barges to ship them to Kwinana was very common all around the world. It is option 3 on the  shortlist.

It does not matter if the government selected the Roe 8 or Leach Highway options because both are flawed as the problem of the last mile to cross the river and getting freight into port was the problematic one that has not been resolved.

But it will take at least ten years to do anything new at all, and in the meantime we should be getting a new traffic bridge with a dedicated freight rail line on it.

Chris Leatt-Hayter said that Fremantle Ports is supportive of the Westport Taskforce and that it is a rigorous, fair and sound process. Fremantle Port could handle ships of up to 350 metres long and that were the biggest ones coming to Australia currently.

Leatt-Hayter said that the same number of trucks came to the port now as they did ten years ago, because many more containers were transported by rail and fewer trucks came or left empty.

The Port do not take the community for granted and try to minimise the impact of their operations. It has 78% support from the community to continue the Freo working port!

Mayor Brad Pettitt said that the working port is very much part of Fremantle’s identity and who we are and that it is good for our economy and provides thousands of port related jobs, but what happens on land needs to be managed as it impacts on the community. The shift onto rail is the key. “We want to keep the working port as long as we can.”

Professor Peter Newman wants the ASAP solution of having a new port in Kwinana as soon as possible because he believes litheum exports will substantially increase the number of containers.”We need a new technology port.”

The Q&A did not have many specific North Fremantle questions but Leatt-Hayter said that freight on rail had issues because it goes right past the Roundhouse and close to residential apartments.

Nicole Lockwood said a tunnel is far more problematic in the Perth region and even more so at the river mouth and that putting trains through a tunnel would mean they end up somewhere near Rottnest because of the gradient. Cost efficiency was also a major factor.

Aboriginal woman Corina Abrahams said that there was not enough concern for the cultural heritage and that we should not ruin Cockburn Sound. Common sense needs to prevail.

One community speaker said the solution was a dedicated lane for autonomous trucks that could run 24/7 and would create a lot less noise than the diesel trucks.

Nicole Lockwood said the state government needed to do two things at once; planning for the long term and improving for the short term. Significant investment would be needed in the next ten years with at least six major projects to improve the Fremantle Port operations, including widening Curtin Avenue. “Perth just does not have enough river crossings.”

North Freo resident Anne Forma said there had been a lot of talk and a lot of plans but nothing had happened and that the 2010 plans could have been implemented by now. “Investment in Fremantle Port is not a long term solution.”

Roel Loopers

PARKING DELAYS NEW NORTH FREO BAR

 

The application for a small bar/cafe and fashion outlet in North Fremantle took 50 minutes of time at the Fremantle Planning Committee,  with residents and traders arguing that there was a shortage of parking in the area and hence a new bar would not be sustainable.

The application is not for a new development but for a change of use of the old church building that has been an antique shop, a surf shop and a cafe. The place would open 15 hours a day and seven days a week, so would attract more daytime visitors

Some Councillors agreed that parking was an issue for the new business but other elected members said parking was not provided by other traders in the street, such as Mojo and Propellor and that parking was not a planning issue but a strategic planning issue for the council.

The idea that parking could be provided at the bowling club was supported by some but not by others, and I for one don’t like the idea of asking inebriated people to cross very busy Stirling Highway to get there.

At the end the Planning Committee voted on a motion by Councillor Bryn Jones to defer the item to full council in three weeks. I doubt that the parking issues will be resolved by then.

Roel Loopers

NORTH FREO COMMUNITY DAY ON SATURDAY

 

The NORTH FREO COMMUNITY DAY is on this Saturday August 3 at Gilbert Fraser oval from midday till 5pm.

Go and enjoy some community fun with food trucks, jumping castle, petting zoo, face painting, cake stall, footy games, and more.

Roel Loopers

WONDERFUL NORTH FREO DOG PHOTO

 

Photo by Mark Bailey

 

Loyal Freo’s View reader Mark Bailey sent me this photo he took of a dog on the jetty near the Gilbert Fraser oval in North Fremantle.

The shot of the dog looking out over the Swan River is too cute not to share around. Well done Mark!

 

Roel Loopers

GILBERT FRASER OVAL UPGRADE

 

 

I went and had a look at the recent work the City of Fremantle did at the Gilbert Fraser Oval grandstand in North Fremantle and all I can say is that there is a lot of metal fencing.

Not at all sure that I like it.

Also completed and ready to finally hand over to the ENKEL group is the former Naval Stores building at Cantonment Hill.

Roel Loopers

 

NORTH FREO GROWING CHANGE COMMUNITY FARM TODAY!

 

Dr Noel Nannup, Noongar Elder, storyteller & cultural guide, will be opening the North Fremantle Community Farm at Thompson Road farm with a special Welcome Ceremony this Saturday Morning, March 23. He’ll be sharing his amazing cultural wisdom and insights on healing plants and places.

Hannah Tarrant, Notre Dame Uni PhD Candidate, will talk about her research on the impact of social farming on mental wellbeing. And the social programs we’re running this year for young people aged 18-25 years. And…

Ezereve, who has the voice of an angel will be serenading the community gardeners and visitors. She is a passionate social justice advocate and plays all over Perth including singing with the Perth Symphony Orchestra.

9 am : Farm open to the community
10 am : Welcome by Dr Noel Nannup
10.15 am : Introduction and overview of plans by Dylan Smith
10.20 am : Social farming for wellbeing PhD project overview with Hannah Tarrant
10.30 am : Live music by Ezereve, morning tea available for purchase, chat with the new farm crew and share your ideas and suggestions for the future
12.00 : Farm event finishes

There will be a number of stations set up people can visit and find out more about the North Freo community’s plans for Growing Change  where visitors can share their thoughts about social impact, workshops and venue use, growing, site design, business and events.

BYO picnic rugs, chairs, snacks, hats and covered shoes, and your beautiful mind brimming with ideas.

Roel Loopers

NORTH FREMANTLE COMMUNITY NOT HAPPY WITH GROWING PORT

 

The North Fremantle community is not happy that Fremantle Council is officially supporting a continuation of a working Fremantle Port.

Ann Forma and Gerard MacGill of the North Fremantle Community Association have published a paper scrutinising facts and criticising new plans and the lack of consideration given to the impact a growing container port will have on local residents.

Forma and MacGill question why Fremantle Council have pre-empted the outcome of the Westport Taskforce by stating it wants “To retain and if possible expand this economic activity into the future, the inner harbour should be retained in the long term as an operating port.”

A Port study in 1991 already asked if the port will still be adequate in 30 years, and if not if it could be adapted or should a new port be constructed, and if so, where?

In 2005 Fremantle Ports’ preferred future was an overflow container port on an artificial island at Navel Base, south of Henderson.

The leases for DP World and Patrick’s at North Quay expire at the end of June this year, according to the NFCA report, but the preferred option of Fremantle Ports is to sign new seven-year leases with the stevedores, which would have the option of two future seven-year period extensions, so for a total of 21 years, ending in 2040.

The North Fremantle Community Association  paper states that the North Fremantle community paid a big price over the last 50 years with the ever-increasing port activities, but that the social and environmental impacts have never been properly assessed.

Roel Loopers

The NFCA report in full here:

Fremantle Ports Container Terminal History and Future