Fremantle on Westport shortlist

 

The City of Fremantle has welcomed the release of the Westport Taskforce shortlist of Perth’s future port options, in which two of the top three options include retaining the Fremantle Inner Harbour as a working container port.

Last year the Fremantle Council reaffirmed its position that container handling should be maintained at North Quay, provided the associated land side transport arrangements have no greater impact on the local community than current port operations.

It is encouraging an ongoing role for Fremantle Port ranked highly in the taskforce’s analysis.

Fremantle as a working port is central to our identity, and the employment and activity associated with the operations of the inner harbour are a critical component of the Fremantle region’s economy. We welcome the fact that two of the top three shortlisted options include an ongoing role for the inner harbour, which consistent with the council’s adopted position on the future of the port.

We look forward to participating in the more detailed consideration of the shortlisted options as the next stage of the Westport process.

The Westport Taskforce was established by the state government to provide guidance on the planning, development and growth of the inner harbour at Fremantle, the future outer harbour at Kwinana and opportunities to expand the Port of Bunbury.

Following a detailed multi-criteria analysis the taskforce has shortlisted five options – three stand-alone Kwinana options and two shared Fremantle/Kwinana options.

The highest ranked option was a new stand-alone, conventional, land-backed port at Kwinana.

The second ranked option involved a shared Kwinana/Fremantle arrangement in which container traffic to a new Kwinana terminal would be mostly reliant on road access over rail, while Fremantle Port would require some additional road, rail and operational enhancements.

The third ranked option was similar to the second but incorporated the ‘Blue Highway’ concept of transporting containers from Fremantle to Kwinana on shallow draught barges.

The Blue Highway concept proposes containers being moved directly from the large container ships onto small barges using specially-designed loading equipment. The barges would then transport the containers directly down to the Kwinana port for off-loading onto trucks.

A benefit of the Blue Highway is that less dredging may be required due to the shallower depth of the barges.

The shortlist will now go through a second, even more rigorous multi-criteria analysis and a cost-benefit analysis to determine the strongest option.

A Quick Video Guide to FOGO in Freo

Fremantle to host one of Australia’s biggest technology and innovation events

The City of Fremantle and Notre Dame University have partnered to secure Fremantle as the WA host location for the largest open data hackathon in the southern hemisphere, GovHack.

 

GovHack is an international competition in which people can access local, state and federal government data and use it to develop innovative apps and concepts to solve some of the modern world’s big problems.

 

For example, in a previous GovHack state government shark hazard data was used to develop a new approach to track shark activity along WA beaches.

 

Across the weekend of 6-8 September, thousands of innovators will come together across Australia and New Zealand to form teams, agree on projects, and participate in what has become one of the world’s largest open data competitions.

 

As the host of WA’s primary GovHack site, Fremantle will welcome hundreds of tech enthusiasts across the weekend.

 

The event hub will be located at Notre Dame University’s Prindiville Hall, but participants will also be encouraged to use a variety of spaces throughout Fremantle – including bars, cafes, restaurants and public spaces – as their workspace.

 

Participants will develop their ideas and working prototypes in teams over the weekend and then present them in a pitch style event on Sunday.

 

Prizes linked to certain themes are up for grabs in order to guide participants towards solving certain challenges.

 

GovHack represents a significant opportunity for Fremantle. The partnership between the City of Fremantle and Notre Dame University is part of a longer term approach to position Fremantle as a centre of excellence in education, technology and innovation. GovHack is a great way to engage the immense talent and creativity we have in Fremantle as we continue to work towards becoming a smart city.

 

GovHack WA State Director Sue-Ellen Shaw said it was important to provide an inspiring and motivating event venue so participants could work within a creative environment and generate innovative ideas.

 

Fremantle will be the perfect location for WA’s GovHack event given its vibrant streets, heritage architecture and array of inspiring spaces,” Ms Shaw said.

 

“The support of the nationally recognised Notre Dame University, the City of Fremantle and presence of a strong creative community made it an easy choice.”

 

Notre Dame Australia’s Chief Operating Officer Clare Stanford said there was a wide range of education and innovative research being carried out in Fremantle.

 

“Fremantle is a knowledge city in the truest sense. The university delivers a nationally recognised curriculum of tertiary level education and is also engaged in research across a variety of sectors,” Ms Stanford said.

 

“Being located in the city centre alongside other important education institutions such as TAFEWA and specialist training centres makes Fremantle a hub for skilled and creative people.

 

“We’re working closely with the City of Fremantle to spread this message and attract even more of WA’s most gifted innovators.”

 

GovHack will be held in Fremantle on 6-8 September alongside a range of other regional WA events including Albany, Geraldton, Mandurah and Port Hedland.

 

The event is open to anyone who wishes to participate no matter what their background or skill level. Participation of people without technical knowledge is encouraged as it creates more diverse range of skills across teams.

 

For more information or to register as a participant visit govhack.org.

 

New Bin Days

Waste collection days for most residents will be changing from Mon 19 Aug. For half of the City’s residents, the week in which their fortnightly recycling bin gets collected will also change.

The change in days is a result to a change in collection routes which will make the City’s waste collection service more efficient.

A postcard advising residents of their new bin collection days will be landing in letterboxes soon. Residents can find their bin days on the bin collection days page.

 

Updated policy ensures Freo leads the way on sustainable buildings

Fremantle Council has updated its successful Sustainable Building Policy to ensure Fremantle continues to be a leader in sustainable development.

The Sustainable Building Policy was adopted in 2011 and requires new residential and commercial buildings with a floor area of greater than 1000m2 to achieve a minimum 4-star ‘Green Star’ rating.

Fremantle Mayor Brad Pettitt said as a result of the policy Fremantle had become a showcase for sustainable development.

“In the past year or two we’ve seen some incredible new developments that are not only great places to live but are also packed with sustainability features,” Mayor Pettitt said.

“The award winning Liv apartments in Queen Victoria Street and the Evermore development in White Gum Valley have both been designed and built to be more energy efficient, saving residents money on power bills, and both have achieved One Planet accreditation thanks to their water and energy saving appliances, solar PV, double-glazing, organic waste and recycling facilities.

“Sirona Capital’s almost completed component of the Kings Square Renewal project will feature 5-star Green Star commercial spaces, while our own civic centre and library under construction in Kings Square will be one of the most energy efficient buildings of its size in Australia.

“We also have sustainability features being promoted in approved developments like Yolk Property Group’s Little Lane apartments in the Westgate Mall, and we’re currently assessing Yolk’s plans to build WA’s first timber framed office building.”

The refinements made to the City’s Sustainable Building Policy include allowing the use of other equivalent assessment tools, such as One Planet certification, and streamlining implementation measures to clarify how compliance will be achieved before and after construction.

In reviewing the Sustainable Building Policy, the council also voted to rescind its Energy Efficient Building Design Policy.

That policy was adopted in 2000 to provide advice on the principles of energy efficient design and set minimum sustainability standards, particularly for development of individual houses.

To have a policy promoting energy efficient design back in 2000 really was ahead of its time, but now the Building Code, national guidelines and other state planning policies have overtaken it.

It’s really interesting that the sorts of things we were talking about at the turn of the century like building orientation, insulation, energy efficient appliances and landscaping are all now part of mainstream design.

It’s another example of where local governments can explore new and innovative ideas at a local level, and if they prove successful they can be adopted more broadly.

In addition to the Sustainable Building Policy the City of Fremantle also has planning policies that allow higher density if the development meets certain sustainability requirements, such as achieving a higher energy rating, the installation of solar panels and a rainwater tank or greywater system.

The Knutsford East Local Structure Plan also offers bonuses in height and density for design and sustainability excellence.

The Knutsford precinct includes Landcorp’s ground-breaking East Village development, in which 36 homes will be powered by 100 per cent renewable energy using roof top solar panels and a shared community battery.

In an Australian first, a village micro-grid will allow residents to generate and share energy with their neighbours using an innovative energy trading platform.

 

 

The One Planet accredited Liv Apartments are an example of sustainable development in Fremantle.

 

When you try to make an Editorial Complaint to The West…

In Paul Murray’s latest spray at Freo Council he once again got his facts wrong so we thought it reasonable to lodge a complaint and ask for a correction.

But when you click on the link to make an editorial complaint to the West this is what you get.

How to make sure you don’t get any negative feedback!

https://thewest.com.au/editorial-complaints

Another Week, Another Response to The West Australian. This time on the Solar Farm

The West Australian’s and columnist, Paul Murray’s, anti-renewable energy push continued this weekend with a third full page opinion piece in as many weeks attacking the Fremantle Council and our leadership in addressing climate change – this time focused on the proposed South Fremantle Solar Farm.

Once you push past the silly and often inaccurate personal attacks on me and Fremantle Council, the crux of Murray’s concern is that the South Fremantle solar farm may not be safe for surrounding residents as it sits on a contaminated former tip site.

This is a reasonable concern to raise.

In fact, when the Fremantle Council initially supported this project we made it very clear that we would not proceed with it unless Epuron and environmental regulators could show it could be done safely.

Pleasingly, the independent Contaminated Sites Auditor demonstrated the South Fremantle landfill site is suitable for use as a solar farm under strict conditions and with management plans in place.

Both the independent audit advice and management plans were then scrutinised by the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation and the Department of Health. Both departments were satisfied it could be done safely.

Now, I’m not an expert on the specifics of the management of contaminated sites – nor are any members of Fremantle Council – but neither are Paul Murray or Adele Carles.

Thankfully, the Auditor, the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation, and the Department of Health all are – and they are the ones that should be listened to.

The expert advice is that this project can be done safely. If it proceeds it will be done under strict management plans – plans that we propose will be monitored by BOTH the City of Fremantle and City of Cockburn.

Once the solar farm is complete the area will be safer than it is today, with better fencing and even stricter site management.

It will also see what has been a derelict old tip site for more than three decades turned into Australia biggest urban solar farm, further contributing to reducing our carbon emissions and tackling climate change.

It is a win/win. But don’t take my word for it. Read the advice for yourself at:

https://mysay.fremantle.wa.gov.au/south-fremantle-solar-farm/documents

And background to the project at:

https://mysay.fremantle.wa.gov.au/south-fremantle-solar-farm