PEOPLE WOULD LIKE TO LIVE IN FREO

 

Some people will again accuse me if wearing rose-coloured glasses but the Great WA Home Survey, according to the West Australian newspaper have come out that Fremantle is fifth on the list of If Money Is No Issue Where Would You Live?

Fremantle came 5th with 10.3%, while Cottesloe was top of the list with 20.9%, City Beach came 2nd with 18.5% and South Perth 3rd with 16.1%

So while some Freo people whinge about a lot of things people in other suburbs still believe Fremantle is a desirable location to live in, and I could not agree more. I love Freo!

Roel Loopers

FREO CAPPUCCINO STRIP SITE FOR SALE

 

 

The prominent Monk Brewery site on the Fremantle Cappuccino Strip is for sale.

Savills Australia has the 923 square metre site listed, but no worries for the fans of the brewery. Their lease expires in April next years but they do have a five year option to extend that.

Does anyone remember when Miss Maud was there? ; >)

Roel Loopers

PETITION AGAINST FREMANTLE PUBLIC LAND SALE

 

I came across this petition on Change.org that was started by Arts Centre Precinct resident Paula Amaral. It has 126 signatures currently.

A petition calling for a moratorium on the sale of Fremantle publicly owned land to private developers.

Available land near our City centre is at a premium because it is accessible to public transport and walking distance to shops and other amenities.

At present our City has a few vacant sites of publicly owned land, destined to be sold to private developers. Some of this land is owned by the State government, and some by the City of Fremantle. It used to have mostly social value, but now seems to have only financial value.

Once the land is sold to private developers, it will be lost to the community forever.

These are our assets and we should have a say in whether selling them to private developers purely to retire civic debt is really in the best interests of the community.

We are all aware of the rise of homelessness in our streets and the increase in poverty, which leads to terrible costs to our society. Research is showing a great need for affordable housing and facilities, not only for the visible homeless but all those at risk of homelessness.

For the last 30 years the policy of selling publicly owned land to private developers has significantly contributed to the lack of affordable housing in our City.

We are petitioning for a moratorium on the sale of our publicly owned land before it is too late. Let’s stop this practice which has contributed so much to social disadvantage and inequality.

 

Roel Loopers

BEACH STREET DEVELOPMENT ON THE WAY?

 

 

 

Good to see activity on the  Beach Street site next to the Australia Hotel. From memory, and please correct me if I am wrong, an eight-storey residential building was approved for the site by Fremantle council, so hopefully that is what is happening.

Roel Loopers

LOOPY LOOKING FOR A NEW HOME

 

The few critics I have in Fremantle claim that my life is all about narcissistic me and my huge ego, so I might as well prove them right and do a call out on my own behalf for a change.

I need to move out as my landlord is coming back from France and will take over the cozy little Beaconsfield cave I have been living in for last three and a half years, so I am looking for an unfurnished small apartment, townhouse, granny flat, etc. in Fremantle.

Any help appreciated so please share this with your network.

Any tips please email me: roel.loopers@iinet.net.au

Roel Loopers

OLD FREO NEWS STILL GOOD NEWS

 

It must be slow news time or sheer desperation for a good news story that The City of Fremantle and Mayor Brad Pettitt are re-posting an article in Business News about Andrew-Twiggy-Forrest’s investments in Fremantle.

It is old news that Forrest’s companies have bought the Orient Hotel in High Street for $ 4.6 million and the Spicers carpark on the corner of William and Henderson streets from Sirona Capital for $ 7.6 million, as well as 45 Phillimore Street for $ 2.7 million.

So yes, shout it out loud that Andrew Forrest has invested $ 15 million in Freo over the last 15 months and that it is a sign of confidence in Fremantle’s economic rebirth.

Roel Loopers

FREMANTLE HERITAGE CAR PARK

 

 

Fremantle has so many hidden treasures and I ‘discovered’ this car park of the former warehouse at Little High Street this morning.

The entrance is at Phillimore Street and the excellent adaptive re-use of the former warehouse into residential apartments was done by Freo architect Ralph Hoare.

The unit on the corner of High Street, opposite Chalkys cafe, is for sale for just over $ 2 million as I understand it.

Roel Loopers

FREMANTLE DEVELOPMENT PIPE LINE OR PIPE DREAM?

 

 

 

Before

Today

 

Worrying signs in Fremantle for the Hilton Doubletree hotel and Ancora apartments development on the corner of Point and Adelaide Street.

The SKS Group who owns the site has been delaying the development for years and were supposed to commence this October, but all promotional signage has been removed from the sales office, and only one sign remains standing at the carpark.

On their website SKS states that a glut of hotel development might end up in many vacant rooms due to a decline in WA tourist numbers, but that is no longer the case with WA recording the highest increase in tourist numbers in Australia recently.

SKS received planning approval for a six-storey 150 rooms hotel and 98 residential apartments, but have been reluctant to start the development.

There are other residential developments in the pipeline for Fremantle, but will they become reality with the residential market being very slow? It’s a worry!

Roel Loopers

 

FREO GATEWAY DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES

 

 

The opportunity for two large Fremantle gateway developments are on offer with the two Shacks Holden properties at Queen Victoria being put up for sale.

The two properties on either sides of James Street are more than 11,000sqm, with one of them next to the Heirloom warehouse apartments and opposite the LIV Defence Housing residential building.

One site is 3,464sqm and the other 6,725sqm and offer fantastic opportunities to make a stunning entry statement to Fremantle.

Roel Loopers

MORE YOLK DEVELOPMENT FOR FREMANTLE

 

 

Very good to see that the large block on the corner of Sussex Street and South Terrace, that has been vacant for far too many years, will soon be developed.

The Yolk Property Group has bough the site, so I think we can expect a residential development there and that would be very good.

Stay tuned for the development proposal.

Roel Loopers