BE PART OF FREMANTLE’S BRIGHT FUTURE

 

 

There is a lot of hot air in politics, and one-eyed blinkered judging of the other’s failures and one’s own greatness. In local politics one can add parochial polemic to it that is not helpful to get a balanced view of the facts.

It becomes understandable why many people don’t really now what is going on in Fremantle, because for some it is all positive while for others it is mostly negative.

I prefer facts over fake news, misinformation, and political point scoring.

It is often good to hear the opinion of out of towners and see how they assess the performance of Fremantle Council, as the promotion for a sundowner does.

According to the poster for an event of the Property Council of Australia with Mayor Brad Pettitt and Deputy Mayor Ingrid Waltham, Fremantle is undergoing its biggest revitalisation with unprecedented levels of public and private investment underway.

The PCOA also writes Most importantly, find out about the current and imminent investment opportunities. Be part of Fremantle now as its future is bright.

The Sundowner is on Friday July 28 from 3.30-5.30 pm at the Perth Convention and Entertainment Centre. It costs $ 135.00 for non-members and $ 90.00 for members.

 

Roel Loopers

FREO NEEDS FAMILY FRIENDLY DEVELOPMENT

 

Interesting to read that there is an increasing demand for big 3-4 bedroom apartments by people who want to down-size from a house to a unit.

There is and oversupply of small 1-2 bedroom apartments in the Perth metropolitan area and some planned projects have been put on hold or cancelled because supply well exceeds demand in these difficult economic times.

The demand is for extra and larger living spaces for families and also for the 3rd or 4th bedroom to be used as a home office.

I believe this is relevant for Fremantle where new residential apartments don’t appear to cater for singles and couple, but not for families.

Freo is a family city and we love kids and it would be a shame if new infill development did exclude families because the units are too small and not family friendly.

 

Roel Loopers

Baugruppen at WGV Induction Event

 

6pm to 7.30pm Monday 17 July 2017

at the Fremantle Fibonacci Centre in Blinco Street.  www.baugruppen.com.au

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Join host Josh Byrne, Principal, Josh Byrne & Associates.

View the latest plans, feel and touch the materials boards, see internal and external artist impressions.

Select your preferred home type and location within the development, your parking requirements, and other preferences including lift.

Talk to members of the project team, dedicated to the success of your development and ready to assist:

• Michael Patroni, spaceagency architects (2016 AIA multi-residential award winners)
• Hayden Groves, dethridgeGroves real estate (Principal, President of REIWA)
• Phil Gnech, Builtform development managers (Principal, Registered Builder and Project Manager)
• Geoffrey London, The University of Western Australia (Professor of Architecture, former Government Architect)
• Warren Phillips, LandCorp (Senior Development Manager, WGV and the Fremantle Knutsford Project)

Become a pioneering “citizen developer” to deliver the first baugruppen in Australia, pave the way for more sustainable and higher quality housing.

The potential savings on homes developed by the building group range from approximately $50,000 to $100,000 when compared to market.

Features:

1. Zero agent’s fees and zero marketing budgets

2. Zero profits payable to investor/developers

3. Customisation of your home and personal consultation with the architects

4. By developing with future owner-occupiers, with sustainability in mind, the group will be able to ensure their new homes are suitable for their long-term needs with lower living costs

5. The baugruppen will be the heart of the WGV Eco Village, WA’s first One Planet Community, globally recognised for urban design and leading sustainability initiatives

6. Be part of an instant community within the baugruppen, the WGV eco village and the White Gum Valley community renowned for its creativity/artists, urban orchard, street festivals and events held throughout the year

7. Enjoy shared private spaces as well as public spaces beautifully designed by Josh Byrne & Associates featuring work by local artists (SHAC) and the Fremantle Mens Shed organisation

8. Short walk to cafe, convenience store, WGV primary school, WGV community orchard, parks/picnic areas, and a walk or ride to Fremantle town centre, the new Fremantle College, and various shopping precincts

By joining with others to develop the Baugruppen at WGV, you are choosing community, amenity, and healthy, happy and sustainable living.

The Baugruppen at WGV is an intiative of LandCorp and The University of Western Australia.

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NOT A MATCH FOR FREMANTLE

 

It appears that the MATCH Group have quietly postponed or abandoned their plans to develop the former Energy Museum site in Fremantle’s Parry Street.

All the signs to promote the mixed development of residential and commercial accommodation have been removed from the building’s facade.

Plans were for a four-storey residential new building behind the old one and the former museum transferred into a Bread in Common style restaurant and bar and other retail on street level.

While the delay is disappointing it is also understandable as there is a lot of apartment development happening in Fremantle and the Heirloom by Match building still has apartments for sale.

Real estate experts say their is a glut of apartments in the Perth metro area and an oversupply of them, so developers will probably have a bit of a wait and see attitude to see where the market is heading before realising plans that already have been approved.

Roel Loopers

LIV AND LET LIVE

 

The LIV apartment development by Defence Housing in Fremantle’s east end is fast taking shape as these photos taking from Quarry Street show.

The building is opposite the recently opened Heirloom apartments so it will substantially add to the activation and beautification of the area.

Roel Loopers

POPULAR FREMANTLE AUCTION

 

 

There was quite a bit of interest this morning at the  auction for the building on the corner of Marine Terrace and Cliff Street in Fremantle.

It is a beautiful building opposite the Shipwreck Museum and one minute away from Bathers Beach.

But I did not win the Lotto jackpot again on Thursday. ; >(

Roel Loopers

FREMANTLE SHOULD PENALISE DEVELOPMENT DELAYS

The continuing delay of the development of the Hilton Doubletree hotel on the Fremantle Point Street carpark site and the delay of settlement of the Spicer site at Henderson Street raises questions about the contracts the City of Fremantle signs with developers.

It is nice to have a clause in the Hilton sales contract that stipulates the City can buy back the site if development does not happen within a certain period, but it is totally useless as Fremantle is not in a financial position to buy back the Point Street property, and anyway, what to do with it then?

The delay of the Kings Square project meant that valuable revenue from the Queensgate carpark was lost to the COF and the delay of settlement with Sirona Capital of the Spicer property also means that Fremantle will have to wait till they get paid for it, when the City’s coffers are very empty.

Would it not be better to include penalties for delays, let’s say $ 10,000 per week, as that would be a clear message that Fremantle wants and needs development now and not sometime down the track when the Hilton developers have built three other hotels in Perth first.

Money is a great incentive to get things done fast and buy-back clauses are unrealistic when the City of Fremantle does not have the money for it.

Roel Loopers

FREMANTLE’S SOCIALIST DEVELOPMENT

 

The LIV Defence Housing residential development at Fremantle’s Queen Victoria and Quarry streets is well under way and will be a great addition to the east end of the CBD.

I find it rather cute that people on the right side of politics keep accusing Fremantle Council of being socialists when this council has done more in thirty years to attract very capitalist development to our city than previous councils.

While some of the new development is disappointing and mediocre it will do Fremantle’s economy and traders a lot of good in the near future to have three new hotels and very substantial residential and commercial development that will bring thousands more people living in the inner city and thousands more working in the CBD.

It will be fantastic for the hospitality and retail industries to have hundreds of tourists staying overnight in Fremantle and shop, dine and drink here, and having locals and students roaming the streets day and night will make it a safer and more lively place.

Roel Loopers

AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROJECT FOR FREMANTLE

An interesting affordable housing project will be developed in Fremantle on the corner of Blinco and Wood streets in White Gum Valley by the Fini Group.

The EHDO Nightingale apartments will be sold under market value to ‘ethical investors’ who can only sell their property at agreed market value.

The apartments will have shared laundry facilities and communal gardens, so it all sounds very Freo.

I understand the concept was created by Melbourne architects and the Freo project will have 12 apartments initially.

This is what EHDO says:

Nightingale Housing is a non-profit organisation formed by a group of leading Australian architects. It aims to create affordable housing models that are specifically designed to achieve environmental and social benefits for cities. In other words, Nightingale promotes the building of communities, not just market commodities.

The Nightingale ethos is driven by the reality that home ownership is becoming increasingly out of reach, especially in Australia’s major cities. The rise of apartments in suburbs has not made housing more affordable, nor has it contributed to suburban quality of life, in terms of good housing and neighbourhood design, access to services, and community building.

Nightingale developments aim to increase affordability by selling housing directly to homebuyers without many of the ‘add on’ costs associated with typical developments, such as agent fees, marketing and display suites. The requirements of the owner-occupier and the community are emphasised over investor profit.

Roel Loopers

LIV DEVELOPMENT REACHES FOR THE SKY

 

A big crane is going up this Saturday at the six-storey LIV Defence Housing apartment project at Queen Victoria Street.

This is a significant milestone for Fremantle and one we should not underestimate.

There are people, like I, who are not impressed with a lot of the new architecture developers propose for Fremantle, and there are those, including myself, who believe a lot of the design of new buildings here is uninspiring, uninspired and mediocre.

But not withstanding that the historic and economic significance of all the new development in Fremantle should give us all hope for a more exciting and vibrant future for our city.

Roel Loopers