Rarely a Dull Moment - Heart of Beaconsfield, (Non)Sale of Victoria Hall, 5 Beach Street

Another short and sharp Ordinary Council Meeting on 23 October 2024, during a busy month.

Let’s see what the City’s been up to this fortnight.

Former Fremantle Technical College (Tafe), Nos. 11-15 (Lot 2680) Grosvenor Street, Beaconsfield – 84 Lot Freehold Subdivision

While the City is not the decision maker for the future of the former Beaconsfield TAFE site, their opinions are still welcome to Development WA on how the land ought to be used.

Development WA are proposing:
• 84 new residential lots, 82 single dwelling lots and two larger multiple dwelling development sites with potential for up to 115 dwellings
• Three public open space/drainage Reserves at 16% in lieu of 10% site minimum; and
• Movement network consisting of footpaths, two roads and seven laneways; and
• Landscaping and works including mature trees, BBQs, and play & seating areas.

The City consider that this is consistent with the recently approved Local Development Plan that you might recall from a few RADMs ago. It is also apparently consistent with the structure plan.

Beaconsfield TAFE Local Structure Plan and the subdivision plan – from Council report: The subdivision proposal was advertised to landowners and occupants within a 200m radius of the site from 16 September 2024 to 7 October 2024, attracting 16 submissions.

Some raised concerns on the grounds that the lots are too numerous and small compared to Beaconsfield’s character, others worried about affordability, also increased traffic and parking especially in relation to school students, or environmental impacts relating to water demand and tree removal, and the quality of landscaping.

This is a key site within the Heart of Beaconsfield Masterplan which provides:
“a strategic basis for the coordinated redevelopment and growth of the Beaconsfield suburb with increased residential densities, other appropriate land uses and improved connections and public open spaces through key sites and areas of the suburb.”

It is expected that the site will yield up to 155 dwellings.

Of additional interest: the estate will install its own community bore to irrigate the garden spaces and groundwater will be delivered via a non-potable “third pipe” (or “purple pipe”) system that isn’t too common across Western Australia yet. One local example we have of this is the award-winning White Gum Valley “The White Project”. That’s actually rather exciting.

Council voted to advise the Western Australian Planning Commission of their conditional support for the proposal to be approved.

Update Report on The Proposed Sale of Victoria Hall

Small mercies? Still no successful proponent for the Victoria Hall. It lives to fight another day.

Victoria Hall, 179 High Street, Fremantle, 2024. Credit Fremantle Shipping News

Remember our previous reports on this item? A convoluted and tense story!

No offers since the 24 July Council meeting have met the City’s price expectations. As such, the City is pulling the pin for now and has presented alternative recommendations for its use.

In the meantime, the City will deliver an Expression of Interest process to “identify suitable arts and cultural uses via a lease or licence of the premises” to allow for ongoing public access and activation of the historic venue. Arts and culture remains the preferred use.

The Expression of Interest, or EOI, will invite arts and culture applicants to:
• Lodge cultural programming and activation plans;
• Advise of desired length of tenure and financial capacity to pay rent, and/or;
• Contribute to the ongoing maintenance or capital improvement of the building.

Current tenants, Fremantle Theatre Company, have a licence to continue operating in the premises until March 2025 but have advised the City they shall not seek an extension until the EOI process is complete. The City will offer them a monthly roll over for up to 6 months beyond that if the EOI drags out.

Council elected to support the officer recommendation to:
1. Note the recent expressions of interest process for the sale of 151 High Street (Victoria Hall) did not identify a suitable buyer and as such the City will not be proceeding with a sale of the property at this time.
2. Endorse the delivery of a public expressions of interest process for the leasing or licensing of 151 High Street (Victoria Hall) to identify an appropriate arts or cultural related use, noting any suitable applicant identified will be presented to Council for approval.

5 Beach Street – Demolition of Façade

Loyal readers may recall we discussed this one a while back in February 2024.

5 Beach Street, Fremantle. Credit Fremantle Shipping News

A quick recap of the history behind this doomed building, which has been sitting vacant and subject to squatting and vandalism for a while now:
• This four-storey apartment building itself has stood incomplete for about 14 years;
• Construction of it, including unauthorised works, stretched over 2004-2015;
• The structural condition has deteriorated over time to the point it raises safety concerns but it previously had “potential to contribute positively to the streetscape”;
• The City issued a Building Order for its demolition in April 2024;
• The property was subsequently sold and is now owned by St Pats, Fremantle;
• St Pats engaged an architect and structural engineer to carry out additional assessments of the front facade to see if it could be retained;
• Both conclude that it would be “economically unviable and due to its poor condition, the facade is potentially at risk of catastrophic structural failure and could potentially cause harm during demolition of the main buildings.”

That’s that, then.

Council resolved to “authorise the Chief Executive Officer to issue a demolition permit for the demolition of all buildings at 5 Beach Street Fremantle, including the front facade.”

In Other News

The City committed to a continue the new Bulk Waste Verge Collections Model; awarded the tender to the successful contractor for a beach enclosure at Bathers Beach; agreed to Nyoongar road naming for the subdivided land on the corner of Clontarf Road and Naylor Street; and the CEO passed his performance review. 🌻

That’s it. Bye for now!

Report by Gayle O’Leary

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