FREMANTLE COUNCIL WANT TENT CITY CLOSURE

The FPOL Committee of Fremantle Council will this evening debate the closing down of the controversial Tent City at Pioneer Park.

I have been annoyed by the baseless nonsense on some Fremantle social media platforms that accuse the Mayor and City Ward Councillors of having approved the tent city, when in fact this never went to a council meeting. All that political conspiracy crap really is not at all helpful to address a major problem our society has!

I copied the below from the agenda item for this evening, which I unfortunately can’t attend:

St Patrick’s outreach staff attending Pioneer Park have undertaken assessments using the VI-SPDAT (vulnerability indicator) to assess the individual needs and vulnerabilities of those staying at the camp.

The assessment indicates: ▪23% identify as being at risk of being attacked or beaten▪ 42% have legal issues▪ 88% have AOD indicators, with 58% having tried treatment before but returned tousing▪ 58% have mental health indicators (this appears low and will be reviewed), with 27% having been hospitalised for this against their will. Of those that indicated they had mental health issues, almost third had not seen a mental health professional in the past 6 months▪ 66% indicate some form of disability most of these are serious head trauma or brain injury. ▪Total number of people 70 tents about 100 people▪ Estimated that the people in the park are 50% local and 50% from Perth and surrounds.

OFFICER’S RECOMMENDATION: Council adopt the following position in relation to the camp at Pioneer Park:

1.The camp has not been approved by the City of Fremantle and the City does not support the camp remaining at the park.

2.The camp is occupied by a number of vulnerable and disadvantaged people. Council is greatly concerned for their welfareand does not consider that remaining in the camp is in their long-term best interests. Council believes the needs of the occupants can best be addressed through engagement with the professional support agencies who have the skills, knowledge and experience to tailor appropriate solutions to each individual situation.

3. Council is greatly concerned by the largely uncontrolled nature of the camp and is also concerned about the impacts of the camp on nearby businesses and other users of Pioneer Park.
4. 4. Council is seeking the closure of the camp and return of Pioneer Park to its intended purpose and will work constructively and collaborativelywith the State Government and service agencies to seek a closure that prioritises the welfare needs of the occupants. A timeframe and process for this will be developed in collaboration with other key stakeholders. The target timeframe for this will be within two weeks of this resolution.
5. 5. Council acknowledges the work of volunteers at the camp and recognises their community spirit. Council now calls on the camp organisers and supporters to work withthe City to return the site to its intended use and to channel their efforts into supporting existing service agencies.
6. 6. Council will:(a) Continue to provide waste collection and toilet cleaning services in the interests of maintaining basic hygiene at the camp, however it recognises there will be a time when these services are discontinued as part of the camp closure process; and(b) Support and provide full cooperation with WA Police in their efforts to ensure community safety and legal compliance at the camp.

Roel Loopers

SUMMER DAY END AT BATHERS BEACH

Two of the photos I took on my early evening walk today, both taken at Freo’s lovely Bathers Beach.

The very high humidity has created interesting clouds the last few days and today was pretty good as well.

While there the Wasamba drum band started rehearsing so that was a really nice way of finishing the day. Thank you!

Roel Loopers

LET’S REINSTATE CUPOLAS TO CELEBRATE FREMANTLE’S 200th

It is only eight more years until Fremantle will celebrate its 200th anniversary in 2029, so wouldn’t it be nice if those pointed cupolas we see in this photo could be reinstated. I think they look really special and would enhance gorgeous High Street.

Can we get some community and Freo City action going to lobby the State Government to fund such a project.

Roel Loopers

JON SANDERS BACK IN FREO AFTER HIS 11TH CIRCUMNAVIGATION

Fremantle yachtsman Jon Sanders will be arriving back on January 31 and he will be welcomed with open arms by the Fremantle Sailing Club and Fremantle Ports.

Sanders left Fremantle in November 2019 on his yacht Perie Banou II to solo circumnavigate the earth for the 11th time while doing research for Curtin University and taking daily seawater samples to test for microplastics in the oceans.

The 81-year-old will have sailed well over 40,000km when he arrives back in Freo, where he will cross the line and do a lap around Bathers Bay while the Roundhouse cannon is fired. From there he will proceed to the inner harbour where Fremantle Ports vessels will fire their water cannons, the deck of the Maritime Museum will be opened as a viewing platform for spectators, and other things are planned.

There will no doubt be a large flotilla of small crafts following Jon Sanders’ yacht to celebrate his enormous achievement. I doubt anyone else has sailed solo around the world 11 times.

Stay tuned for more information and the times of the festivities.

Roel Loopers

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

CLOTHING RETAILER FOR WALYALUP CIVIC CENTRE

If Fremantle Council approves it the Walyalup Civic Centre at Kings Square might gets its first commercial lease.

WEAR 2 has applied to lease a 220sqm space on the corner of William Street and Newman Court for their retail clothing shop. Wear 2 has been trading in Fremantle for 11 years.

The lease agreement would be for 3x3x3 years with no rent free period, but Wear 2 wants the City of Fremantle to contribute $ 120,000 towards the shop fit-out, which is more or less the norm nowadays.

Wear 2 would be paying Freo City rent of annually $ 39,000 and the outgoings are estimated to be $ 31,900.

Also looking for tenants is the current council chambers at Fremantle Oval, with staff moving back to Kings Square at the end of March. The City is looking for a mix of community and commercial leases in the building.

The items will be discussed at this Wednesday’s FPOL committee meeting.

Roel Loopers

REFURBISHING THE OLD FREO PORT BUILDINGS

The TAFE workshops at Fremantle’s Slip and Fleet streets are getting their refurbished green window frames re-installed over the next few weeks. The final finish will have a painted timber frame around the windows.

The sheds were built in the 1950s and the site, which now belongs to Fremantle Ports, was previously occupied by the Elder Smith Steel Works. I always find the sawtooth roofline very photogenic.

Roel Loopers

CALL FOR LONG TERM SOLUTIONS FOR HOMELESSNESS

In response to the Fremantle tent city at Pioneer Park more than 26 agencies are banding together to call for a focus on effective long-term solutions as the best way to address the complex issues of homelessness and disadvantage.

The Iminagined Futures Housing and Homelessness Group, which consists of a range of specialist housing, homelessness and other community services, along with government agencies and sector peak bodies, works collectively in the local community to support a strategic place-based response to ending homelessness.

The group has been coordinating on how best to respond to increasing levels of street present homelessness being experienced in the community, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic, of which the camp in Pioneer Park in Fremantle is a recent example.

The camp began on Boxing Day as a 24-hour food service but has become a focal point for people in need since then, with an estimated 70 people sleeping at the park

Imagined Futures Executive Officer Leigh Sinclair said that Imagined Futures members shared the community’s desire for action and solutions which lead to an end to chronic street present homelessness and are keen to work together towards this goal.

“Imagined Futures’ primary concern is to safeguard the wellbeing of people experiencing homelessness. An important element of this is to ensure they maintain engagement with the services that use proven approaches to help them exit homelessness for good.

“While the camp has provided some greatly appreciated short term support for vulnerable people, a tent camp in a public park is not a viable long-term safe solution.”

Assertive outreach workers from support agencies including St Patrick’s Community Support Centre and Wungening Aboriginal Corporation have been actively meeting with camp residents over the past week to understand their individual situations and needs.

In addition to this, a number of Imagined Futures agencies are delivering a series of Housing Pathway Clinics, taking place from 1-2pm every Tuesday (men and women) and Thursday (women only) at St Patrick’s Community Support Centre.

Commencing on Tuesday 19 January, these walk-in sessions will allow people experiencing homelessness to access multiple service providers in the one location, including housing support services, advocacy and immediate support with health, food and amenities.

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

NEW FREMANTLE TRAFFIC BRIDGE TO START THIS YEAR

WA Transport and Planning Minister Rita Saffioti has informed Fremantle residents that she will soon appoint designers and builders for the controversial new Fremantle traffic and freight rail bridges over the Swan River.

The Minister wrote that the State Government will imminently appoint the preferred proponent that will form an alliance with Main Roads to deliver the Swan River Crossings project. Once the Alliance is confirmed, work will continue the community consultation to further investigate and agree the final alignment of any bridges. A final decision on the alignment will be made after this further technical and design work has been undertaken.

Saffioti acknowledged that it is clear there are differing community views around the proposed location of the new bridges, but wrote that the community forums had been a valuable opportunity for community members to have a conversation about it with the government. She said that the community consultations will continue throughout the process about the design, urban and landscaping and the connectivity for pedestrians and cyclists.

The anticipated start of the building of the two bridges is the end of this year and will take two years to complete.

Roel Loopers