The City of Fremantle will approach the Local Government Advisory Board as early as May with a request that its district boundary be extended along the coastal strip to northern Kwinana.
The City of Fremantle will approach the Local Government Advisory Board as early as May with a request that its district boundary be extended along the coastal strip to northern Kwinana.
Included in the proposed boundary extension are Australand’s $900 million Port Coogee Marina development, and the South Fremantle Power Station, both located within the City of Cockburn.
Fremantle Mayor Peter Tagliaferri said the city had consulted with various groups in preparation to lodge a formal submission to the advisory board in the next two to three months.
Mr Tagliaferri says council has a strong case for the boundary extension, in part based on its track record of managing developments on Fremantle harbour and the strong connections between the Cockburn coast and Fremantle CBD by bus and rail.
“The Cockburn coast is seriously underdeveloped right now. I think it would be a significant burden financially on Cockburn while there is no income coming in,” he said.
Mr Tagliaferri said that, as a member of the Cockburn Coastal Steering Committee, he had a good understanding of what was required to repair the coastal reserve and enhance the area through development.
The City of Fremantle’s plans follows a similar request by the City of Belmont, which recently lodged a proposal to extend its boundary to encompass the Belmont Park Racecourse, currently earmarked for a $2 billion development under the watchful eye of the Town of Victoria Park.
City of Cockburn chief executive Stephen Cain said it was not in financial trouble and considered itself a very good development manager, demonstrated by the success of the South Beach estate development with Stockland, and its input into a structure plan for the Port Coogee Marina.
“We already have an arrangement with the developer [Stockland] to take over the development and management of the boat pens, which will provide the city with a major asset and future revenue stream. In time, we will be a real marina manager,” he said.
Despite the controversy surrounding its mayor, Stephen Lee, resulting from the Corruption and Crime Commission investigation into improper campaign funding, Mr Cain said council would continue to function and operate efficiently.
If Fremantle goes ahead with making its proposal, the advisory board must conduct a full public inquiry before making a recommendation to Local Government Minister Ljiljanna Ravlich.