Exclusive - Future of Fremantle Report Revealed & Endorsed

A long-term visionary plan to transform Fremantle Port into one of the southern hemisphere’s great waterfront cities has today been revealed exclusively to Fremantle Shipping News along with confirmation that the plan has been endorsed by the Cook Labor Government in advance of the upcoming State elections on 8 March 2025.

Release of the plan – titled the Future of Fremantle Place and Economic Vision – and its endorsement follows criticism by Fremantle Shipping News of the earlier failure of the Government to release the report of the Jane Bennett led Future of Fremantle Committee and to say where the Government stood on the Bennett report’s recommendations.

The release of the Bennett report today has also come about as a result of the timely intervention in the Future of Fremantle planning processes by local Fremantle MLA and Minister Simone McGurk.

The plan outlined in the Bennett report follows a $273 million Cook Labor Government commitment for detailed planning to move container trades to the new Westport terminal in Kwinana by the late 2030s.

The Bennett report considers opportunities to unlock the port precinct’s potential by transforming the harbour into a vibrant, contemporary and sustainable expansion of the historic city of Fremantle.

Consisting of 260 hectares of land and 10 kilometres of ocean and river frontage from Victoria Quay to Leighton and including Rous Head, the area is comparable in size, as the Bennett report points out, to some of the world’s largest and most transformative port redevelopments such as Barangaroo (Sydney), Canary Wharf (London), and HafenCity (Hamburg).

In the introduction, the Bennett report explains that more than 12 months of extensive community and stakeholder engagement, and over 1,000 ideas and comments, helped to inform the plan with input from interest groups, the City of Fremantle, local businesses and community organisations, Aboriginal Elders, youth focus groups and the wider community.

The Bennett report says the result

…is a bold and ambitious proposal that will unlock the site’s unparalleled potential across six unique precincts as a future global waterfront city. It will reconnect Fremantle/Walyalup with its waterfront. It creates a pathway to deliver a range of homes, open spaces and supporting infrastructure for 55,000 new residents. It has potential to support 45,000 new jobs and to generate $13.6 billion in gross state product annually. Most of all, it will be a place that demonstrates a genuine respect for our incredible natural environment and supports people carrying out their lives in a way that is both rich and sustainable.

Our delivery of this report presents a considered and comprehensive social and economic strategy for future generations to draw from; and a realistic and workable vision that reflects the inner harbour’s historic role in shaping Western Australia while also detailing its future as an exemplary waterfront destination.

The plan aims to create a place that embodies the spirit of Fremantle – a resilient, adaptable, hardworking and welcoming city – while also capturing the important cultural significance that the area, Walyalup, holds for Aboriginal people.

It adopts a long-term 50-year redevelopment horizon to be staged as land becomes available through the relocation of trades, and creates new opportunities for tourism, maritime industries, education, culture and the arts, and research and development.

It embraces innovation and sustainable urban lifestyles through walkable and well-connected streets and stronger connections between Fremantle and its waterfront. Large areas of the site are dedicated to parks and green open spaces with a managed response proposed to protect Port and Sandtrax beaches from further coastal erosion.

The harbour will continue to cater for passenger cruise, visiting naval and recreational vessels.

For a better appreciation of the scope and content of the Bennett report here are some of its key features.

First the Table of Contents.

Table of Contents

And then The Vision Statement.

The report then outlines five Vision Goals.

Vision Goals

Then the Bennett report begins to get into the nitty gritty of how land uses might be allocated within the wider project area by first denoting Precinct Roles.

Precinct Roles

Then we have a Vision Elements Plan.

After dealing with the Strategic Context for the plan making, and Stakeholder Engagement, the Bennett report turns to the sorts of issues that will have Freo folk looking closely at the plan – the issues of Place and Economic Development and the ways one can Grow an Economy for the Future. The Key Moves and Spatial Opportunities image begins to put flesh on the bones of the growing vision at this point.

The report provides Case Studies on this topic from Lot Fourteen Adelaide and Kalaoa, Hawaii.

Then the report turns to Reflecting Walyalup’s Identity, reflecting these a Key Moves and Spacial Opportunities.

The next big topic concerns are Connecting Land and Water. This image begins to paint the picture.

Another Case Study, this time from Nordhavn, Copenhagen is provided in the report.

This is followed by a section in Diverse and Healthy that emphasises the need for equitable opportunities for all people and cultures and delivering genuine housing diversity and social infrastructure to support healthy, connected communities. A Case Study from Toronto, Canada is provided of inclusionary zoning.

Then we have the Walkable and Well-Connected focus of the report, which for many Freo people will be a must read section. This image beg8ns to provide the flavour of the plan.

Many Freo people will also want to focus on the Bennett report’s discussion of Precinct Responses. And here they are for your gleaning.

There is much to pore over in the Bennett report. It will engender a huge response. Some will love some things and be more reserved about others.

For example, this image depicts a scale and density of one scenario of this new Fremantle that some might be be quite wide eyed at.

Precinct Roles

Other images however suggest other not so surprising scenarios.

Artist’s impression of the new Fremantle

As to Next Steps, the Bennett report covers them well –

Timeframes for implementation of the Future of Fremantle Vision will in part be guided by the timing for the relocation of trades from the inner-harbour as this will determine when land and waterways become available for repurposing and redevelopment. The period leading up to the relocation of trades creates a valuable window for a range of work to be undertaken in preparation for the future redevelopment.

This presents an opportunity for Fremantle to build on current momentum to further advance its identity as a competitive international destination for tourism, education and place to live, and as a preferred location for new enterprise networks and investment. When the Future of Fremantle redevelopment gets underway it will be well placed to further contribute to the economic, social, cultural and environmental capital that defines Fremantle.

Plans are already in place to revitalise the Victoria Quay waterfront, improve its connections with Fremantle, and realise its potential as a key cultural, tourism and hospitality, entertainment and education precinct. The WA Government has invested in the precinct’s revitalisation, focusing efforts to improve pedestrian connections, enhance public spaces, and activate the portside heritage buildings with new cultural, commercial and community uses. This early activation of Victoria Quay will provide space to incubate new businesses, reconnect Fremantle to its harbour waterfront, and catalyse future redevelopment.

The result of this activation will be a reinvigorated Victoria Quay waterfront and bolstered local economy on the back of this unique character precinct. A next step will be progressing more detailed precinct planning across Victoria Quay to identify and facilitate further activation and development opportunities.

Additional studies, investigations and more detailed planning will also unfold across other precincts to inform future investment decisions in support of realising the Future of Fremantle Vision. This will provide many future opportunities for the community and stakeholders to participate in the planning and delivery of the Vision for this once-in- a-generation opportunity.

Key members of the Cook Government, the Deputy Premier and Treasurer, Rita Saffioti, and Minister for Planning, John Carey, as well as local Fremantle MLA and Minister, Simone McGurk, are already highly enthused by the long term vision conveyed by the Bennett report.

Ms Saffioti comments on the Bennett report:

“We have committed $273 million to progress detailed planning for a new container port, setting up Western Australia for the next century.

“By relocating these services further south on our coastline, we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reimagine our harbour city and deliver new maritime, tourism, housing, employment and cultural experiences in Fremantle.

“It is important to plan for the future now by understanding the capacity and potential of this iconic part of our coastline and the economic opportunities it can deliver for the future of our State – including an extra $13.6 billion in Gross State Product.”

Mr Carey, in a similar vein, says that:

“We have this opportunity to reimagine the next evolution of Fremantle through the redevelopment of the port precinct – into a new iconic destination.

“This is a bold vision that will reinforce Fremantle’s identity as an eclectic, dynamic and resilient waterfront city and one of the world’s great places to live, work and visit.

“We have the opportunity for a transformative change for Fremantle over the next 20-40 years and this project has provided the first steps for sustainable growth that will deliver social, economic and environmental benefits for Western Australians.”

Simone McGurk immediately to the time to thank the Fremantle community for their input at this early stage of planning, and then added:

“This important framework which will help underpin future work in what we know is a huge parcel of land. Redevelopment of this scale will transform the harbour precinct into a world-class destination and bring a new era of investment to Fremantle and the wider region.

“We have embraced Fremantle’s rich history and its critical importance to Aboriginal people and created a vision that sets out to shape Fremantle as one of the world’s great waterfront cities and a major economic driver for Western Australia over the next 50 years and beyond.

“It has been a great privilege for me and my colleague Lisa O’Malley, the Member for Bicton, to work with the Future of Fremantle Planning Committee and supporting Aboriginal and project reference groups, as well as the many local people who care deeply about the future of Fremantle and who have contributed to this city-defining vision.”

We will bring you the link to the full Bennett report as soon as the Government provides it in coming days.

The Future of Fremantle looks exciting, however you look at it.

Let the discussions begin!

* By Michael Barker, Editor, Fremantle Shipping Mews

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