A PANEL discussion looking at preserving Fremantle’s heritage has heard a new planning scheme should consider a “dramatic upzoning” for housing to the city’s north and west in order to protect the integrity of the city centre.

A large crowd filled the ballroom at the Federal Hotel for the Fremantle Society’s panel, which featured eastern states heritage expert Richard Mackay, WA Heritage Commission chair Darren Foster and society president John Dawson.

Mr Mackay, who’s in the city at the invitation of the society, said he was impressed the authenticity and integrity of Fremantle’s West End had been largely preserved.

“While there have been some modern interventions, the urban form is extraordinarily intact in terms of the streetscape, its layout, the structure of the city, the individual historic building reflecting in combination with the landscape, a displayed history of Whadjuk occupation, then of the colonial convict arrival and its built elements duly overlain by maritime activities, the obvious influence of the gold rushes, the continuation of that built form through the Federation period, right through the 20th century and up to now,” Mr Mackay said.

He said the major threat to the state heritage-listed precinct was incremental change.

• Heritage expert Richard Mackay gets a tour through C Shed on Victoria Quay. Photo supplied

“It’s not a particular project, it’s not a particular planning policy, it’s the tyranny of incremental change over time that causes that authenticity to erode,” he said.

Other pressures included that the city was built on sand, climate change, and the pressures on governments to provide development opportunities to ease the housing crisis.

Mr Mackay said the arrival of Notre Dame had created something of a university town which came with opportunities and challenges.

“There is an opportunity there through the council, and perhaps through the new planning scheme, maybe through the Heritage Council, in terms of the requirements for conservation and maintenance, to engage more with the university about their role in the strategic heritage conservation of the West End.”

Mr Mackay said Fremantle was like many heritage hotspots around the globe under pressure through residential intensification.

“It would be a good idea to engage with that boldly and decisively, rather than to resist it,” he said.

“Maybe there’s a need to do some ring fencing around the West End. 

“Maybe there’s a need to do more dramatic upzoning and increase available residential building envelopes through good urban design to the north and the west, adjacent to the river, maybe which provides a clear indication to government and the community about ‘this is where we can accommodate more people, because we don’t want to accomodate them in areas that are going to cause incremental adverse change to the historic built environment.”

Mr Foster the issue is “trying to figure out what the problem is you’re trying to fix” because preserving heritage shouldn’t come at the cost of investment.

“One of the things that I think is concerning, and it’s a problem for Perth as well as Fremantle, is the very high vacancy rate in some of these buildings,” he said.

Vacancies

“If you’ve got high vacancy rates, that tells me those buildings are at risk because they’ve got no tenants, or no one who really loves and wants that building to survive and prosper; no one to maintain it.

“Part of the answer here is to be able to work with the development industry, mobilise the investment, but get the right sort of outcomes.

“You don’t want streetscapes just to be vape shops and massage parlours… you want all sorts oof diverse shops, activities and so on, occurring around the clock or within reasonable limits.

Mr Dowson said the city needed to get back to basics.

“You’ve got to start with having a clean city and a safe city, and you’ve got to have footpaths that just aren’t covered in chewing gum and filth that year after year haven’t been attended to,” the society president said.

“So if council can’t even keep the footpaths clean, how the hall are they going to build a new city.

“If you go to French villages they have flowers in pots everywhere; they’d all get stolen here.”

by STEVE GRANT