Space tells a  story

FREMANTLE SOCIETY president John Dowson has urged Fremantle council to consider the open spaces of Fremantle Oval in its redevelopment plans, saying they help link it to the adjacent historic prison.

Mr Dowson has recently trawled through the 120-page Fremantle Oval Conservation Plan prepared by the council and is concerned that some of the options being thrown around don’t gel with its intent.

He points to recommendations around future development, which the conservation plan says should have regard to the oval’s heritage values, with the aim to “ensure that the presence and visual domination of the place is not diminished by future actions”.

• John Dowson says Freo Oval’s open spaces tell a lot about the city. Photo by Steve Grant

Mr Dowson says apartments and a four to five-storey building along Parry Street, which were flagged in previous plans the council says are being rethought, wouldn’t strike the right balance.

“The boxes coming out make you wonder what part of the conservation plan they were following.”

He says the original redevelopment plans appeared to have been adopted before the council had even signed off on the conservation plan.

Mr Dowson also raised concerns that the conservation plan was written by Griffiths Architects, who also prepared the heritage report for the proposed adjacent police station.

The Society was highly vocal in its opposition to the police station, particularly its impact on the world heritage listed Fremantle Prison’s buffer zone, and Mr Dowson fears the oval plans will also impact on its presence overlooking the city.

He points to the tiered concrete seating around the oval as an important reminder of the site’s link to the prison, as the slabs were all manufactured by prisoners. While supportive of the City’s plans to re-orient the playing surface of the oval to bring it closer to Victoria Pavilion, he fears the slabs might get trashed.

He says apart from a visual reminder of the nearby prison, they give the sense of space that preceded the oval, when the area was used as vegetable gardens to support the prisoners and their gaolers.

by STEVE GRANT

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