WAS THE VICTORIA QUAY JUST THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF A PIPE DREAM?

I have been thinking a bit about yesterday’s announcement by Premier Mark McGowan and Planning Minister Rita Saffioti that the State will be spending about $ 20 million on facelift for historic Victoria Quay. The first $ 7 million will go on planning, but why?

There are filing cabinets full of plans for Victoria Quay at Fremantle Ports, but it was all talk and no action. Only a few months ago the Future of Fremantle Planning Committee was established, to look at the big picture of what the Fremantle Port area could become if the port activities are moved to a new port at Kwinana. Should the WA Government not be waiting for at least the first report of that extensive committee before announcing more non researched plans for VQ?

It is easy to say that parking on Victoria Quay is not great for the eye and that we should landscape the area, but parking there is essential for many people and long term parking is needed for people who hop on one of the Rottnest Island ferries.

Relocating the RoRo vessels away from Victoria Quay, presumably to accommodate unsightly movie studio concrete bunkers, is more difficult than just said. Where would they go? A Large area would be needed and North Quay is pretty much full with container activity. Building a new port, or upgrading one, for live sheep trade will take years. Could they go to the Bulk Jetty at Kwinana, or even further all the way up to Geraldton?

The talk of a facelift and landscaping for the station forecourt has also been going on for over twenty years, but the Public Transport Authority refuses to move the bus port a few hundred metres to the East, so unless the Planning Minister starts kicking arse at the PTA nothing will happen there again.

Premature and un-researched media announcements are useless. Why were we not shown plans of what the State actually want to do? Why just a generic announcement that lacked substance. It’s only a pipe dream, until real work actually happens, so don’t hold your breath, Freo!

Roel Loopers