FREMANTLE Society president John Dowson has accused the City of Fremantle of chasing a target of 10,000 residents in the city centre that has no basis in research.

Mr Dowson warns the push is leading to 15-storey apartment buildings that will damage the port city’s historic character.

“The 10,000 hasn’t come from any study,” he said.

He said the council was allowing the target to drive decisions about building heights rather than first establishing what kind of growth Fremantle could accommodate without undermining its character.

“It’s a thought bubble, and it’s got no backing,” he said.

Mr Dowson said the city needed more housing, but argued that the answer was not to scatter high-rise apartment blocks across the central business district in an effort to meet a predetermined number.

• Fremantle Society president John Dowson indicates where the Woolstores Shopping Centre’s roof might be if apartments on the site go to 15 storeys. Photo by Steve Grant

He said even a handful of tall buildings could permanently change the way people experienced Fremantle, particularly around the railway station, where a proposed high-rise would tower over the existing low-rise streetscape.

“You come out of a one-storey railway station, and you’re looking up at a 15-storey block of apartments just for people who’ve got the money to buy an ocean view, look over the rest,” he said.

Mr Dowson said the issue was not simply about protecting individual heritage buildings, but preserving the scale of the streets and public spaces between them.

“Fremantle’s value for most people is its low scale because everything, most stuff you do is at ground level,” he said.

He said the relationship between buildings, sunlight and street life was central to the city’s appeal.

“If you had six stories, eight stories, 10 stories, you’d be at a canyon.”

Mr Dowson questioned whether the council’s focus on accommodating 10,000 people in the city centre had adequately considered the infrastructure, green space and services needed to support them.

He cited reports of sewage entering homes as an indication of pressure on existing infrastructure, warning that adding residents without upgrading services could create further problems.

He said population growth alone would not revive Fremantle if the shops and services people needed were no longer available.

“The question is, what do you need to do to bring people back?” he said.

“The answer is obviously, look around.”

Mr Dowson said more housing could be delivered incrementally through a range of sites and building types, including adapting existing buildings, without resorting to high-rise development in sensitive heritage areas.

Mr Dowson also criticised the planning process, saying the proposed scheme should be properly presented to the community before being advanced through the Cook government approval system.

He called for independent planning and heritage advice and said higher development should be directed away from sensitive historic areas.

by STEVE GRANT