LITTLE LANE BIG BUILDING

Here a first glimpse of the Little Lane residential development at Fremantle’s Adelaide Street. It might be a little lane but it will be a big eight-storey building. Developed by Freo-based Yolk Property Group.

Roel Loopers

LITTLE LANE ON ITS WAY UP

Fantastic to hear this morning that the sale of apartments of the Little Lane development in Fremantle’s Adelaide Street have been excellent throughout the Christmas period and into the new year.

The eight-storey residential and retail development by the Yolk Property Group, next to Target, is very important to Fremantle Council’s wish to activate Freo’s CBD. This is the most central residential development, just a minute away from Kings Square, in the port city

The development is now above ground, so stay tuned for some photos of it in the near future.

Roel Loopers

FREO’S ARTFULLY HIDDEN VACANT SPACES

Delighted to see the former icecream shop next to Elizabeth’s Bookshop getting a new lease of life? No, it’s not a new cafe/restaurant but merely an artist impression stuck on the windows, so that the vacant shop no longer looks vacant.

Great idea! I suggested something similar years ago, wanting artists to paint the windows of vacant retail properties.

The initiative is a combined effort of the Fremantle Chamber of Commerce and the City of Fremantle and runs under the banner FREOFINDS. Don’t bother to try to find out more and click on http://www.visitfreo.com.au/freofinds though. It is not an active site.

Roel Loopers

HEART OF BEACONSFIELD MASTERPLAN

A draft masterplan laying out the collective vision for the Heart of Beaconsfield has been endorsed by Fremantle Council.

The Heart of Beaconsfield project is being led by the City of Fremantle in cooperation with the Department of Communities and other partners to coordinate the redevelopment of the area around the Davis Park precinct, Lefroy Road quarry and the former South Metropolitan TAFE site.  

The council’s Strategic Planning and Transport Committee endorsed a revised draft of the Heart of Beaconsfield masterplan for the purposes of community consultation on Wednesday evening.

Over the past few years there has been a lot of consultation with state government agencies, landowners and the local community to understand what people considered important and what their future vision was for where they lived.

The masterplan includes the expansion of public open space, better pedestrian and bike connections through the area through strategic green links, the retention of important community facilities and a more diverse housing mix.

The Heart of Beaconsfield masterplan covers a 48 hectare area stretching from South Street to Clontarf Road.

Key features include the retention of Bruce Lee Oval and the future development of a new oval on the Lefroy Road quarry, a new green link connecting South Street to Lefroy Road and Clontarf Road, and the retention of community facilities including Fremantle College, child care centres and Activ disability support services. 

The plan accommodates the Department of Communities proposal for a redeveloped residential and retail precinct at Davis Park, redevelopment of the TAFE site and medium density residential development on surplus land adjoining Brue Lee Oval.

Community consultation on the Heart of Beaconsfield masterplan will start in January next year.

To view the draft master plan click here.

C Y FREO IS SO SPECIAL

This is a Freo story of the very best of human kind and of people sometimes disappointing.

A week ago today was the settlement of the inner city Fremantle apartment I live in and what a relief it was. Out of the blue I was told four weeks ago that the former owner would not extend my lease and the unit would be sold, so I was devastated that I would have to move yet again. But two good friends came to the rescue when they called me and asked if I would feel comfortable if they became my new landlords and of course I was.

The first day the home was open my friends bought it and settlement was just 13 days later. It must have been one of the fastest settlements in real estate history. It means I can stay here for many years to come and can really settle in and make this my home.

But there is another side to the story as well. The fast sale and settlement meant that the selling agents did not have to do much for their commission, so I cheekily asked them what my commission would be. I was promised a bottle of Scotch. A week after settlement I still have not received the promised bottle of whiskey, which is disappointing. I think that this lowly tenant on a government pension, who is unlikely to ever buy property from them, is no longer on the radar of the selling agents and that they moved on without thinking about their integrity and reputation.

I won’t mention the name of the real estate agents, but will say that they share their initials with that famous engineer who built Fremantle Port and the Perth-Kalgoorlie pipeline. I am actually quite a fan of the classy, glossy well designed brochures with great photographs they used to publish.

But more good news. Yesterday my landlords came by and hung my paintings that had been on the floor for the last 11 months and put strips on doors and windows to keep the sea breeze out. I am so happy and grateful to them that I can stay here for many years to come.

There are some very good and caring people in Fremantle and I am delighted to have been on the receiving end of it.

Since I always look for the best in people I can only assume that the estate agent who promised the good bottle of whiskey is not mean but only worried about this old fella’s liver. ; >))

Freo. Good one day, better the next!

Roel Loopers

NOTHING COMMON ABOUT MONTREAL STREET DEVELOPMENT

More residential development for Fremantle!

OP Properties in partnership with Power Ledger will build a diverse range of 39 apartments in a five storey development at East Village at Fremantle’s Montreal Street.

Montreal Commons will be one of the first carbon neutral apartment developments in Australia and will deliver a 50 per cent reduction on strata levies, which is a substantial annual saving.

The ground floor will have a cafe and there will be basement parking.

Roel Loopers

HERITAGE BEAUTIES FOR LEASE

 

 

These two stunning buildings in Fremantle’s historic High Street are for lease. The one on the right is all vacant while the one on the left has the Breaks cafe at street level, but amazing available spaces upstairs.

Any takers?

Roel Loopers

FREMANTLE TECHNICAL COLLEGE SOLD

 

 

More good news for Fremantle that the former Technical College at the Cappuccino Strip has been sold by the WA State Government.

The heritage listed property spans from Essex Street to Norfolk Street and from Essex Lane to South Terrace. It is an iconic building in a prime location opposite Fremantle Markets, so we’ll have to wait and see who purchased it and what the future plans for it are.

Roel Loopers

ARE FREO COUNCIL RATES RAISED OR NOT?

 

As always the debate about council rates being raised or not rising in Fremantle has become political, with both sides of the argument saying the other side is wrong, so what is really happening?

Is Fremantle Council, as reported in the Fremantle Herald last week, raising rates by 10% or is there no rise in rates revenue?

The simple question here for me is do property owners pay more in rates this coming financial year than they did last year? Do they who paid e.g. $ 2,000 in rates last time, have to pay $ 2,200 this time?

To make the debate more factual and apolitical I copy the comment from Ian Kerr, who does not live in Fremantle, but who was a Councillor at the City of Vincent for 14 years:

Because the Valuer-General has revised GRV down in a falling property market, City of Fremantle needs to increase the rate in dollar by 10% in order to maintain the same level of rate revenue in total. Overall, ratepayers will pay the the same amount as previously.
As always in such revaluations, some values will have been adjusted by more than others, so some people will find they are paying less and others (especially those that have made improvements to their property) will pay more. This is always difficult to explain to ratepayers (as I know from 14 years on Vincent Council) but Council has no say in this – and the Valuer General is required, by law, to undertake a revaluation every three years.

I hope Ian Kerr’s comments clarify the issue.

Roel Loopers

LARGE RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT AT BURT STREET

 

There is finally some movement on the long awaited development at Fremantle’s Burt Street, just up from the Fremantle Arts Centre.

The State Government has partnered with Edge Visionary Living in the $ 129 million project to build 265 residential apartments, some commercial spaces and six live-work artist’s studios.

There will be mainly two-bedroom or smaller apartments, with some premium three-bedroom ones, and some ‘compact studios’.

10-15 per cent of the apartments will be reserved for social housing.

The development will include six unique live-work artist rental studios and a maker space to inspire creative pursuits and help emerging artists to access affordable accommodation and workspace within the Fremantle area.

Local community input will inform the creation of amenities to complement the surrounding area including social gathering areas, active play zones, outdoor arts engagement, green spaces, walking and cycling pathways and a small portion of space for commercial uses.

The project will also explore ways to implement sustainable initiatives that can help reduce waste, and also reduce water and energy use.

The 1.4-hectare site will be developed in stages. Following a period of community consultation and development approvals, the first stage of works is expected to start in October 2021.

Roel Loopers