UPDATING Fremantle’s ageing planning scheme — with stronger heritage protection at its core — has emerged as a priority for its new mayor.

Mayor Ben Lawver said both the community and council broadly agreed the city needed a new planning framework, warning that under the current scheme some outcomes were falling well short of local expectations.

“So we talked about this a fair bit on the campaign and I think people largely agreed that we probably need a new planning scheme here in Fremantle,” Mr Lawver said. “I think council is of the same view as as well.”

While acknowledging the review would be lengthy, Mr Lawver said the time to begin was now. He flagged early and ongoing engagement with heritage advocates, residents, businesses and developers.

“I think John [Dowson] and the Fremantle Society are heritage experts,” he said. 

“They’ve got a lot of knowledge about the heritage so of course we’re going to engage with them in a number of different ways… we will be engaging with the Freo Society, engaging with residents, businesses, developers.”

Mr Lawver said shortcomings in the current scheme had been highlighted by controversial decisions, including the approval of a car wash at the intersection of South Terrace and South Street.

“I think it be hard to find someone that feels that that’s an appropriate use for that space, but under our current scheme it’s a mixed-use area and a car wash is an allowed use.”

To guide both the planning scheme review and the city’s response to JDAP decisions, Mr Lawver hopes council will approve a new planning committee.

He said the committee could also look back at JDAP approvals and recommend policy changes where developments did not align with community expectations.

Treasure

Heritage concerns are particularly acute in Fremantle’s West End, which Mr Lawver described as irreplaceable.

“The West End is a treasure in my view, it’s an intact entire neighbourhood, and no one is ever going build something like that again,” he said. 

“I think we have a responsibility to ensure that remains for future generations.”

He said the area’s streetscapes were central not just to Fremantle’s identity but also to industries such as film production. “People don’t film a scene of a movie or show in the West End because there’s a huge tall apartment block, they film there because of the streetscape,” he said.

Mr Lawver said current rules allowing discretionary “bonus heights” were increasingly at odds with community expectations.

“When you’re considering applications in say Midland or Cockburn, what is outstanding architecture might be different than what is in Fremantle especially around the West End.”

He said council would need to consider whether certainty around height limits was preferable to subjective discretion.

Fremantle Society president John Dowson said the society was already working to strengthen heritage protections, including inviting New South Wales heritage expert Richard Mackay to Fremantle to meet with the mayor and councillors.

Mr Dowson said initial ideas included “stronger heritage policies for the West End and heritage city to include clear policies for a West End buffer zone and an improved one for Fremantle Prison”.

He said there needed to be “clear evidence that Fremantle council, especially its planning department, values the protection and enhancement of Fremantle’s heritage”, and called for mandated maintenance of heritage properties, stronger protection of streetscapes, roofscapes, interiors and rear courtyards, and better incentives for owners.

Mr Lawver said his ideal timeline would see the planning committee established early in the new year. 

by STEVE GRANT