Fremantle Western Australia, a working port for almost 130 years. A working class area for the majority of that time.
Bedraggled and forgotten for many years.
When Australia won the America’s Cup in 1983, Australia earned the right to be hosts for the 26th America’s Cup.
The race took place at Gage Roads off Fremantle Western Australia.
Fremantle was spruced up with millions of dollars spent to make the place “presentable” on the world stage.
Australia lost the defense of the cup and Fremantle fell into disrepair once more.
Fremantle has long been home to artists, musicians, bohemians, immigrants and the everyday people giving Fremantle it’s culture, soul and vibrancy.
With this vibrancy and soul, Fremantle came to be seen as a trendy place to live. Monied people started buying into the scene, “gentrification” was the catch cry.
These monied people had their own ideas as to the direction Fremantle should be heading.
Trendy cafes along South Terrace started to proliferate. Smaller shop keepers were priced out as rents began to rise.
Derelict buildings were converted into high end apartments that only the “monied” people could afford.
These same monied people began complaining about the “riff raff” who were prominent on the streets after dark. These monied people began complaining about the many “Live Music” venues. Noise complaints came thick and fast until many live music venues were shut down.
The “Monied People” got their way. Fremantle was sterilised so the “gentrified” could walk their dogs to the “cappuccino strip” without having to come into contact with the riff raff.
This week a proposal was presented to council to redevelop the Fremantle Oval which is situated right alongside the “Strip”
The proposal is to build two residential towers within the confines of the oval. 240 apartments in the two towers. One 8 stories high, the other 9 stories high.
The development would include affordable and social housing in the make-up.
The proposal has caused friction with many of the wealthy residents.
A quote from one of these residents; There is enough affordable housing, we have too many issues with antisocial behaviour, drug and alcohol problems, dirty, smelly streets, not enough toilets. Affordable housing should not be build in this precinct, it will devalue our properties.
There it is NIMBY, let’s not worry about all those homeless people, let’s not worry about single parents being forced out onto the street because of rising rents, let’s not worry about senior citizens forces to live in their cars, or tents because there is not enough affordable housing.
Let’s only worry about how much profit I can make when I sell my million dollar apartment
These wealthy people do not want to live in the “real” world. They want an idyll existence centered around them and theirs.
I honestly hope the majority of Fremantle residents give this proposal the green light, not to spite the wealthy, but to look out for those who only want a place they can call home.