A $38 million mainly residential precinct to be built in an “underutilised” industrial area in Fremantle has been approved.
The Metro Inner Development Assessment Panel gave the nod to plans from Locus Development Group on March 27 for the construction of a mass residential development on Amherst and Stack streets after the project was initially knocked back twice by State planners.
The multi-million dollar project is set to have 57 townhouses, including at least five four-bedroom homes, 24 apartments, seven commercial tenancy options and on-site car parking.
It would transform a 1.4ha site currently bounded by a mixture of buildings, including storage facilities, lunch bars and offices, as well as undeveloped land and industrial developments.
JDAP deputy presiding member Lee O’Donohue said the project offered a “diversity of accommodation” across a tough site.
“I always view this as a difficult site topographically. I think that the proposed development and design that has been put forward addresses that really well,” she said.
“I think there’ll be a diversity of accommodation provided.
“It’s in an industrial area that will have a bit of everything in it.”
Applications from Locus Development Group failed to make it past the JDAP in November 2022 and June 2023.
Reasons included that the development did not include “adequate landscaping, deep planting and open space” and a lack of consistency with the Knutsford East Local Structure Plan.
Other concerns included a lack of adequate visitor parking and “inconsistency” with context, community and aesthetics of the local area.
In a presentation to JDAP members last week, proponents said the new proposal was consistent with the local structure plan in its effort to redevelop the “aging, underused industrial area” into a residential and mixed use precinct that was supported by shops and a local community.
Applicants also told the JDAP panel they were presenting a “more diverse proposal” than what had been put forward previously.
City of Fremantle councillor Andrew Sullivan said the “reboot” of the application was a fantastic outcome for the community.
Presiding member Clayton Higham said the most recent application presented an impressive outcome after two refusals.
“I’m fully supportive of this. I think back to the first iteration of this and it went off the rails a little bit and (there was) very little community support,” he said.
“I have to congratulate the applicants for the process they’ve gone through.”