Leeuwin Barracks to be ‘Fully Divested’

In an announcement made today, over 10 years after the possibility of its sale for private land development was first seriously raised, Leeuwin Barracks is to be the subject of ‘FULL DIVESTMENT’ by the Federal Government

Three years ago about now we reported on demolition at the Leeuwin Barracks site, overlooking the Derbarl Yerrigan/Swan River in East Fremantle, and wondered whether this indicated the sale of the Defence owned land was imminent.

We then explained how around 2015, the Commonwealth Government through Department of Defence indicated the Leeuwin Barracks site in East Fremantle might be surplus to requirements and signalled the potential private sale to private developers.

In 2017, the Leeuwin Vision Plan was developed for the site following community consultation. It shows some proposed higher density forms of development on the site, with views further from the east protected and public open-space areas situated between Preston Point Road and Riverside Road. All very glossy.

The sale process was then underway.

But in late in 2021, the Commonwealth (Morrison) Government announced it was pausing sale of the site pending a review of defence accommodation requirements. It was explained that –

“Defence’s accommodation requirements in Perth and Fremantle have changed over the past 24 months as a result of forecast new Royal Australian Navy capabilities and workforce growth.

“As such, Defence is temporarily suspending the disposal of Leeuwin Barracks to allow for a study of the long-term Defence estate requirements in the Perth and Fremantle region.

“Defence is planning to have this study completed by the first quarter of 2022.”

Well, the first quarter of 2022 came and went and the study was yet to see the light of day. The coming of Covid may have helped to explain some of the month delay in revealing Defence’s intentions.

In September 2022, WA Planning Commission endorsed Town of East Fremantle Local Planning Strategy that would see the site zoned Urban, ready for private development.

Then demolition works started happening on the site in early 2023.

Inquiries of the Town of East Fremantle at the time indicated that the Department of Defence, who control the site, were demolishing the old three storey apartment buildings within the site that were no longer considered fit for accommodation uses. It seemed the Council was no more informed than that. Because it’s Commonwealth land, Defence weren’t required to obtain a demolition licence under State and local laws, like ordinary folk, and they didn’t ask permission on this occasion.

And today, 10 years and a bit after the idea was floated, it has been announced that after an audit and review Leeuwin Barracks is indeed to be the subject of ‘FULL DIVESTMENT”. Here are some of the offical documents concerned with this announcement.

In a statement made today on his Facebook page, Federal MP for Fremantle Josh Wilson said –

This is a big deal, especially for Town of East Fremantle, and it will be interesting to see just what influence the old planning documents referred to above will have on what happens next!

By Michael Barker, Editor, Fremantle Shipping News

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