A BOAT showroom which arose from the ground virtually overnight near Fishing Boat Harbour in Fremantle has caused a stir almost as huge as its concrete tilt-up walls.
Residents from as far away as Attfield Street contacted the Herald first thing Monday, outraged their uninterrupted views of the horizon are now broken by a long, pitched roof which is a fair whack taller than the three-storey terrace houses across the rail line on Marine Terrace.
Others say the building has destroyed an important viewing corridor down South Street to the harbour, which formerly greeted visitors to the city.
“A big thank you to the knob that approved the concrete monster being built on Mews Rd, directly opposite the western end of South Street,” Hilton’s Paul Maton wrote to the Herald.
“You have freed us from that crap view of the ocean and fishing harbour, knocked out at least an hour of cancer-ridden sunlight and redirected the relentless healing of the Doctor.”
• Residents are angry this Mews Road development has blocked out views of the ocean.
Lynne, who lives directly across the railway track, says she knew nothing about the development till it went up over a couple of days late last week.
“The construction was very quick. The design is so unattractive and it was very unexpected. It’s so blatantly stark and plain.”
A few doors down on Marine Terrace a retired builder, who didn’t want to be named, reckoned folk were getting their knickers in knots too soon: “At the back is a boat stacker but the front section is going to be offices, so I think people should wait until it’s finished. We could have grizzled, but no-one did,” he said, noting a sign calling for submissions had been posted at the site for ages.
Mike Moulding from Attfield Street described it as a “monstrosity”.
by STEVE GRANT
I am appalled that something of this size and ugliness would be allowed to be built along one of the main entry corridors to Fremantle let alone adjacent to the waterfront. Surely a marine based commercial building of this scale belongs in Rous Head or the AMC? And regardless of how long a proposal has been signposted, unless there is an accurate scaled diagram most of us would not envisage this was the end result nor think anything like this would ever be allowed through. It is the purpose of the planning approval process to vet monstrosities like this. If the person who allowed this thinks they have made a decision which represents the best interests of Freo’s future or it’s residents wishes they are delusional.
We are appalled at the lack of respect shown by Fremantle Council in allowing this monstrosity to be approved without due consultation with the people in the neighbourhood who have just lost their view and probably have a devalued property as a result.