Rarely a Dull Moment - Leaves of Absence, Boo Park, North Freo and MRS Amendment, Trees in Hilton, Party Time on the Strip

Welcome readers to our RADM report for the Ordinary Council Meeting of 26 August 2026.

The first notable topic of the night was Leave of Absence – which usually doesn’t rate much of a mention. But with Councillor Graham in the room, things are never quite so straight forward. He, Councillor Clark and Mayor Ben Lawver all applied for leave over the next short while. Cr Graham then spoke against approving the Mayor’s request for leave given the upcoming Elector’s Meeting on 15 September 2026. This date was set by the Mayor and yet this is the first day of the Mayor’s requested leave, he noted. Cr Graham added – “I just don’t think it is appropriate that the Mayor is going to miss that electors’ meeting…. I don’t see why the electors’ meeting shouldn’t have been held while you were still here…..we’ve got over two weeks, we’ve got tomorrow night free, we’ve got about four nights free next week….and I strongly believe that you should be in the chair for the electors’ meeting”. Then realising that all three applications for leave were in the one motion which he would have to vote on, Cr Graham added “So, even if I don’t support my own leave of absence, I’m not going to support this!” Nor did he – voting against his own request for leave along with the others! But he was the only one who said Nay! The motion passed.

Public question time – and a well-attended one it was, with several topics of interest and lasting an hour and 36 minutes. First off the rank were representatives of Notre Dame University speaking in support of the parking application Item PSC2608-1 NOTRE DAME UNIVERSITY CAR PARKS (3 HIGH STREET, NO. 22 MARINE TERRACE & 11-25 MOUAT STREET, FREMANTLE) – VARIATION TO DA00210/24 (PARTIAL CHANGE OF USE TO PUBLIC CAR PARK) and which was later approved for another year or two (depending which carpark it was). Then to Item PSC2608-3 MANNING STREET, NO. 5 (LOT 28) – UNAUTHORISED ROOF SHEETING ADDITION TO FIRST FLOOR TERRACE where residents on both sides of the fence put their case – the item was subsequently deferred to allow the applicants to address issues of overshadowing and overlooking.

Then to the hot topic of Booyeembara Park (SGSC2608-7 ADOPTION OF THE LONG-TERM FINANCIAL PLAN 2026- 2036) and the absence of previously planned budget for works for the northern areas of the park (raised in the RADM of 12 August 2026).

A good number of folk, who have long been associated with the park, spoke earnestly in support of reinstatement of the previously planned projects – specifically the ephemeral wetland, and upgrade of the storytelling circle and amphitheatre – which had been kicked down the road to accommodate …a skate park??? With not one but two petitions in hand, Steph Jennings of the Friends of Booyeembara Park and several others put their case for the reinstatement of the proposed projects so that the park can continue to support the “bandicoots, fairy wrens, bobtails to water birds to ground nesting rainbow bee-eaters to rare birds that you don’t see in urban areas. We have been caring for our beloved park. We’ve been weeding. We’ve been planting, watering with the natural areas parks officers. A great partnership. We’ve been supporting community events, festival events. We’ve been witnesses and participants in an amazing rewilding journey in the bushland areas of Boo Park. It used to be a quarry, a landfill site and of course a magnificent hill in previous times. It is an amazing experiment that has worked. But within that are all these unfinished areas waiting for 22 years to be completed”. More on this below.

Former Councillor Marija Vujic also asked questions regarding the Long Term Financial Plan, relating to rates, borrowings and savings.

Four people spoke on Item PSC2608-12 REQUEST FOR COMMENT ON THE METROPOLITAN REGION SCHEME AMENDMENT TO LIFT THE URBAN DEFERRED ZONE IN NORTH FREMANTLE. All long-term residents and lovers of Port Beach, Natalie and Hans Hug (of Fremantle Chamber Orchestra fame), and members of the Leighton Action Coalition) Michael Wearne (also a member of the Leighton Action Coalition) and former Fremantle Councillor Gerry McGill (Convenor of the North Fremantle Community Association) spoke vehemently against any lifting of the Urban Deferred Zone until appropriate planning had been carried out. Gerry questioned the process and argued that “any future plan should be subject to full public scrutiny”. And more on this item below.

And around 18 people turned up with banners and a TV cameraman to object to the removal of 26 trees, including 6 Norfolk Pines, from Hilton Park to facilitate the installation of a junior football oval (as reported in RADM of 14 August 2026). Discussion and questions ranged around the process of consultation, interpretation of dog walking areas, saving fauna habitat, removal of asbestos and asking for a reconsideration of the plan to install the junior oval. With the petition seeking an electors meeting lodged with Council accepted, the Electors’ meeting date is set for 6.30pm at the Fremantle Town Hall on the 15^th September 2026. We will cover more on this topic in future reports.

Petitions – As mentioned above, two petitions were lodged relating to Booyeembara Park, a third was seeking the electors’meeting regarding Hilton Park tree removal and fourth seeking “a halt to all clearing and mature tree removals across the City of Fremantle …and mandate that any future infrastructure, sports or masterplan developments must be redesigned to prioritise 100% retention of mature urban canopy”. Is that the whole City of Fremantle?? In any event – a bumper crop this month!!

And with no Deputations – on to Elected Member Communications: Cr Slaughter reported on South Metro Zone meeting that she recently attended on behalf of the City, and Cr Clark expressed concern on the proposed Pier 21 redevelopment in North Fremantle, a State Government project. Issues raised by community and others include impacts, particularly on river fauna, from jet skis which are expected to have increased numbers, traffic and parking increases, and that little of this is being addressed. Mayor Lawver reported on hosting morning tea for two exchange students from Japan.

The Headline Story – PSC2608-12 REQUEST FOR COMMENT ON THE METROPOLITAN REGION SCHEME AMENDMENT TO LIFT THE URBAN DEFERRED ZONE IN NORTH FREMANTLE. This has been such a long journey for many – and particularly Fremantle community and Council. The proposal – “The Department of Planning, Lands, and Heritage (DPLH) has advised it is preparing a report to seek Western Australian Planning Commission (WAPC) determination on the request to lift the Urban Deferred Zoning, in the Metropolitan Region Scheme (MRS) for the ‘North Fremantle Urban Precinct’ (adjacent to Port Beach)”. The Council has had a pretty consistent view over many years – “The City is supportive of the general approach to change the land use from industrial to urban, however, has also been consistent in its commentary that key planning issues must be better resolved prior to lifting the ‘Urban Deferred’ status. The key matters that remain inadequately resolved to date are: • Coastal Planning / Development Setbacks • Integrated Transport Plan for North Fremantle”.

However, the key concern at this point is that WAPC / DPLH is not proposing to undertake any further formal consultation process regarding lifting the area from Urban Deferred to Urban. However, DPLH has invited the City to provide further comment on this important planning matter, specifically, on commencement of rezoning the area concurrently under Local Planning Scheme No. 4 to Development Area”.

The subject site is approximately 23ha in area in the western part of North Fremantle. “The land has historically been used for industrial purposes including a fuel terminal and lubricant depot by Viva Energy Australia (formerly Shell Australia), a former Standard Wool site and a former Caltex operation”.

“The amendment proposed to rezone the subject site from ‘Industrial’ to ‘Urban’ and ‘Parks and Recreation’….the proposal outlined that the subject site was no longer used or required for its past industrial use….(and) therefore proposed the land be rezoned for urban development, noting its close location to Fremantle and North Fremantle, the Fremantle passenger railway (approximately 150m), and Port Beach as key reasons for this request”. The Officers reports notes: “For the City to provide a considered comment on this, the City must first be satisfied that the key planning matters that needed to be resolved – prior to lifting of the Urban Deferred status – have been adequately addressed”.

Certainly from the Elected Members view, the key planning matters have not yet been resolved. In fact the City has elected to carry out its own transport study to look at major issues within this peninsular. Cr Sullivan, for whom this peninsular has been a long-term passion, led the charge on reasons why it is inappropriate to lift the “Urban deferred” status at this stage – reiterating that “it is disappointing after 27 years we’re going through almost an identical failure of planning. The one that is really obvious is when the original proposal for Leighton came along, there was a decision that we’re just going to leave Port Beach Road where it was. Now, that would have been a disaster. There is no way in the world that a foreshore reserve can be on both sides of a major road that’s got trucks running down it and going into the port. We went through that process and it took about three years (for) the Minister for Planning at the time to come in and go, ‘yeah, that’s just fundamentally crazy…we need to have a different solution. We will build Curtin Avenue behind the development. That’ll be fantastic for the development. It’ll be fantastic for the new foreshore reserve that we create and it was just simply a no-brainer’……but here we are again with exactly the same scenario and that issue not being resolved”.

Cr van Dorssen concurred with Cr Sullivan, agreeing that “Urban Deferred can’t be lifted until both transport studies have been done”.

Cr Clark likewise agreed, and as the seconder to Cr Sullivan’s amendment noted that “while he does write in novels and we have to paragraph him back, it is important that we get the setbacks right!…..it will come to a point when no amount of sand nourishment – and I find that term quite ironic – will continue to fill the voids”. CrWilliamson Wong reiterated that “there are significant issues that need to be resolved”…..and that “this debate has been going on longer than I have been alive”! Perhaps the latter a sad reflection of the planning for this significant peninsular.

The Council some years ago supported a process of ‘managed retreat’ to accommodate predicted rising sea levels and seasonal foreshore erosion. With current debate on El Nino, global heat that is in excess of predictions and increasing concern with melting polar icecaps and glaciers, future impacts from the ocean are expected to be costly and significant. How this is accommodated is critical to future management of the foreshore areas.

So, with all wholeheartedly agreeing with Cr Sullivan’s amendment, the resolution to not support the lifting of urban deferred was unanimously approved.

To add to the planning for coastal areas within the City, Item PSC2608-11 COASTAL HAZARD RISK MANAGEMENT ADAPTATION PLAN – WORKING GROUP MEMBERSHIP will now include Crs Sullivan, Williamson Wong and Clarke. “The City of Fremantle has been awarded $175,000 in grant funding from Coastal Management Plan Assistance Program (WA State Government support) to develop a Coastal Hazard Risk Management and Adaptation Plan (CHRMAP). The CHRMAP, co-funded by the City, will help identify coastal hazards, asset vulnerability and community coastal values to define and prioritise appropriate responses along the Fremantle coastline, including the coastal erosion hotspot Port Beach and river estuarine areas”.This important project will be carried out over the next two years.

And everything else

One really important change put to the meeting was an amendment to Item SGSC2608-7 ADOPTION OF THE LONG-TERM FINANCIAL PLAN 2026- 2036 by Cr Clark which ensured that while the Long Term Financial Plan was approved, the specific projects for the Booyeembara Park were yet to be determined. This will allow time for the community consultation process for the Park to be completed and for discussion on the specific projects.

https://mysay.fremantle.wa.gov.au/booyeembarra-park-northern-stages

No doubt those attending Public Question Time as well as many others will be looking forward to this ongoing discussion.

The proposal for PSC2608-4 KNUTSFORD STREET, NO. 17/5(LOT 17), FREMANTLE – CHANGE OF USE TO UNHOSTED SHORT-TERM RENTAL ACCOMMODATION was unanimously approved with conditions that it is time limited to ensure an ability to withdraw approval if it becomes an issuewithin the apartment block.

Cr Slaughter noted that SGSC2608-6 2026-30 CORPORATE PLAN AND 2025-2026 PROGRESS REPORT included reports on tree canopy, water use and other significant aspects of the city management and that these were progressing favourably.

SGSC2608-8 SHORT TERM ACTIVATION OF CITY PROPERTIES – RESPONSE TO NOTICE OF MOTION was an initiative of Cr Williamson Wong so that the City is also activating its properties in line with its urging of others. The SGSC2608-9 DRAFT COMPLAINTS MANAGEMENT POLICY was approved.

A number of Monthly Financial and other reports were approved.

And for those football aficionados, C2608-1 CAPPUCCINO STRIP CLOSURE FOR THE AFL GRAND FINAL 2026 (FREMANTLE DOCKERS) supported a bit more capacity to fund a big party (along with the Fremantle Chamber of Commerce) in Freo in the event that the Dockers …….you know!!! My Editor will have a field day!