21 December 2007

The WAPC has decided on the modifications that must be made to the proposed office and retail development by ING Real Estate on Victoria Quay and the conditions that the project must meet.

The origins of the project lie in changes to the Metropolitan Region Scheme, completed in 2002, to allow city centre activities to expand into West Victoria Quay.  Although the WAPC endorsed Fremantle Ports’ waterfront masterplan in 2001, strategies and plans for the quay left significant aspects open to interpretation.  There is a consensus that the proposal as originally submitted exceeded the commonly understood intentions of the masterplan.  The WAPC recognises that many people including experts and the City of Fremantle consider that the project may still be inconsistent with the masterplan.

Over the past three years the proposal has been the subject of intense debate, public meetings, submissions, community consultations and surveys.  It has been the subject of separate studies of heritage, retail and traffic impacts, its impact on city views of the harbour and its sustainability values.  The proposal has undergone significant reductions in scale and changes in design.

The WAPC has received independent expert advice that the proposal now meets the objectives and guidelines of the masterplan.

The limited strategic detail in the planning for Victoria Quay was partly made good by a set of principles for the commercial precinct adopted by the City of Fremantle only late last month.  This has narrowed the gap between what is proposed and what seems to be acceptable to the city.  The Heritage Council, in proposing a reduction in the scale of the buildings (particularly the car park) and an increase in the scale of the public spaces, has further narrowed the gap.

The WAPC assessed the proposal as being broadly consistent with Network City, supportive of public transport and reinforcing Fremantle’s role as an important activity centre.  The WAPC came to the conclusion, on balance and on the available evidence, that:

• commercial development on the quay is desirable and widely supported;
• the injection of a new style of shopping (mainly boutiques) would benefit the local economy;
• the amount of retail floorspace is probably necessary for its viability;
• contemporary office space is needed in the city centre;
• the net increase in parking is now acceptable;
• the two new rail crossings will effectively connect the city centre to the quay;
• the proposal will generate greatly increased activity in B, C and E sheds as well as funding extensive conservation work;  and
• critical sightlines to the harbour are retained.

The WAPC approved the project subject to the two rail crossings in the Phillimore Street masterplan being carried out and critical aspects of the operations of the commercial precinct being controlled in the lease from Fremantle Ports.  Where feasible the WAPC applied the principles adopted by the City of Fremantle, including active shopfronts facing the city, redesign of the facades and an open public accessway through the site to the waterfront.

The WAPC shares the expressed desire of many in the community to see projects on Victoria Quay, and in Fremantle generally, to be innovative, exceptionally well designed and visionary.  This aspiration cannot also mean, however, that projects which are otherwise positive for the city are not permitted.

Better outcomes on Victoria Quay are more likely if Fremantle Ports, the City of Fremantle and the WAPC collaboratively develop clearer strategies, more precise guidelines and better planning and assessment processes for the further development that is likely to take place in the near future.  All parties have expressed their willingness to do so.

Ends