Cards for Members

The Fremantle Society promotes Fremantle and its potential as a world class tourist heritage destination along with being a great place to live.

Through reports and lobbying we try to lift the level of mediocrity too often seen.

We are also working to encourage mature and community minded people to run for council.

We are now promoting the Fremantle Society itself through the card above which is being widely distributed throughout Fremantle. The card also raises the issue of the parlous state of the council finances. Members are welcome to collect a bundle to give out.

The Tsunami Continues

The front page of this week's Fremantle Herald shows the continuation of the raft of appalling and damaging developments flooding into Fremantle without a let up. 

The White Shoe Brigade

Just as Perth City Council will possibly be dismantled due to concerns about governance and developer influence, the white shoe brigade are well and truly in charge in Fremantle. Developers are generally getting whatever they want - and with greedy and poor quality plans destroying the very reason people are attracted here in the first place.

Rules for Better Development
There has been some discussion in the community about how to draw up a set of rules for developers to follow.

Those rules are already in place. Its just that the developers, and too often the council, do not want to follow them.

The rules for the world famous West End are simple:

a) NOTHING above four storeys is accepteble. The predominant heights in the West End are one, two, and three storeys. A fourth storey  may be permitted if well set back and condicive to the streetscape values of the adjacent properties.

b) NOTHING that is new and added to an existing heritage building in the West End should be visible to someone standing on the opposite side of the street looking up. In some cases, such as with buildings fronting King's Square, the impact of new works added to existing is harder to hide.

Local Identity Codes - Where are They?

To guide developers and planners, over $100,000 was spent by Fremantle Council getting experts from Europe to draw up local identity codes - specific guidance as to how new development could fit well into existing heritage streetscapes. A booklet wad published outlining the material.

During a meeting the Fremantle Society had with the director of planning at council, the director was asked why the codes were not being used. He said he had never heard of them. We gave him one of his own publications about the codes.


Democracy Dead at Fremantle Council

Major decisions affecting ratepayer assets have been made BEHIND CLOSED DOORS at Fremantle Council.

Giving council's developer mates Sirona Capital an extra year to decide on the Spicer site, the $550,000 playgound in King's Square, and major decisions affecting the n ew administration building we dont need, were all made behind closed doors at a sub committee of council and then simple reported at council.

Insipid Media

The media seem disinterested in major Fremantle governance issues like decisions being made behind closed doors.

In fact the ABC rang the Fremantle Society yesterday, but not for comment on any of the major issues  currently affecting Fremantle, but to get comment about a few backpackers in High Street upsetting neighbours.