City Centre urban renewal
Project starts:
Outline
To contribute to council’s overall vision for ‘Fremantle to be recognized as a unique city of cultural and economic significance’, a process to amend the City’s Local Planning Scheme was initiated in August 2011 following council’s adoption of the City Centre Strategic Sites Working Group report.
The working group, established in June 2010, determined that modifications to Local Planning Scheme No. 4 (“LPS4”) were required to facilitate the redevelopment of key sites in the City Central area of the CBD, achieve council’s revitalisation goals and to re-establishing Fremantle as Perth’s second city. The recommendations addressed land use, built form, design and parking issues through an amendment to the planning scheme.
The resultant planning scheme amendments cover twelve key sites in the eastern area of the City Centre zone, focused around Queen Street between the Fremantle Railway Station and Kings Square. These sites were identified by the City as capable of supporting redevelopment of an intensity and scale that would make a significant contribution to achieving the strategic imperatives of the City of Fremantle Strategic Plan 2010–2015.
The scheme amendments were designed to provide an urban environment of vibrant, comfortable and human-scaled public spaces throughout Fremantle’s City Central area.
Click here to view the Fremantle CBD strategic site map.
Background
The City of Fremantle Economic Development Strategy, adopted by council in April 2011, found that to revitalise Fremantle, the city required an additional:
- 20,000 sqm of retail area
- 70,000 sqm of office space
- 1,500 dwellings.
It is anticipated that redevelopment of the 12 strategic sites in City Central, combined with development of minor city centre sites and other sites outside the area–including Victoria Quay and Fishing Boat Harbour–will enable these targets to be achieved.
Under existing provisions of LPS4 (to maximum discretionary heights) it was determined that only 67% of the required floorspace could be met. Council considered this as a sound basis to accept the recommendations of the strategic sites working group and prepare an amendment to the planning scheme.
Current status
At its meeting on 22 February 2012 council adopted principles for the planning scheme amendments This Followed an extensive eight week community consultation period (12 October–7 December 2011) and the consideration of 176 public submissions.
The next step is for the final local planning scheme text to be adopted by council at its meeting on 28 March. Upon adoption by council, the amendments will be submitted to the Western Australian Planning Commission and the Minister for Planning for final approval before being gazetted.
The principles adopted by council include a provision that the maximum discretionary height on some of the key sites will not be able to be approved until the council has developed a policy to provide guidance in the exercise of discretion. This policy will be subject to a further public consultation process prior to its approval.
City Centre Strategic Sites Working Group
The City’s 2010–15 strategic plan included the following action to help achieve the strategic imperative to ‘strengthen Fremantle’s economic capacity’:
“Establish a City Centre Sites Working Group to work with private landowners with a view to having these sites redeveloped–including (but not limited to) Westgate, Myer, Coke & Gas, Woolstores.”
The working group comprised:
- Mayor Dr Brad Pettitt
- Cr Andrew Sullivan (presiding officer)
- Cr John Dowson
- Peter Nolin representing the Fremantle Chamber of Commerce
- Don Whittington representing the Fremantle Society
- Ian Alexander, community representative
- Madeleine Hug, community representative
- Richard Longley, community representative
- Ian Scott, community representative.
Consultant urban designer Linley Lutton and local heritage architect Alan Kelsall were engaged by the City to assist the working group to carry out its investigations.
City of Fremantle’s Director, Planning and Development was the project mentor and the City’s strategic urban designer was the project leader. The manager economic development and marketing also attended working group meetings to provide links with the economic development working group.