High Rise at World’s End

The City of Fremantle hasn’t even got its Planning Scheme Amendment 49 through council yet, but its already allowing the building of unsightly four-storey erections in the strangest of places in Fremantle.  Tessa Joy Schulz has invested plenty of her own time and money into her World’s End Café, just north of the roundhouse, sitting up high on a rocky outcrop.  It’s probably the best vantage point, short of the roundhouse lawn itself, to view ISAF. Tessa knew that too, when she applied for a license to set up her temporary café.

Tessa is a local Fremantle artist and probably not used to dealing with local government bureaucracy.   She admits to making a few mistakes along the way, but she did ask the council, “What do I need to do?” to make her café a reality.

Roel Loopers notified us in his blog of this affront to the front of Tessa’s café.  Technicalities aside, World’s End Café was set up in its current locale because of the wonderful vantage point it offered.  The problem is, John Longley and the mighty ISAF juggernaut liked the location too.  They dumped this pile of pipework at the doorstep of Tessa’s yet to be opened café without thought of the consequences to her business.  Two reasons were given (i) it was a useful point to send ISAF footage back via satellite and (ii) it’s a good spot to record the finish line. 

 Given the spin from council on how they wish to revitalise Fremantle and encourage business back to the City’s heart, they’ve gone a long way to tying this budding entrepreneur up in red tape.  Tessa has had councillors and even John Longley visit her, but no change.  In fact she got the distinct feeling that if she made too much noise about her plight, they might wrap a bit more red tape around her already suffocating business.

 I hadn’t met Tessa until I spoke to her late today.  She has the air of defeat about her.  I found her sitting at a would-be café table enjoying a coldie and watching the sun go down. I can understand her defeatist attitude.  ISAF starts on Saturday and there’s still a whopping four storey scaffolding sitting where her café tables ought to be.  When I read about this issue, I was bowled over by Cr. Andrew Sullivan’s response:

 At least it’s only four storeys high!

Cr. Pemberton has been down to see Tessa to acknowledge her plight and to read her her last rites (I’m not sure whether fellow City Ward Councillor Cr. Grey-Smith has done the same).  So are these the very same councillors that are planning to revitalise Fremantle, through quality development and by luring small business back to Fremantle?  Well councillors, how about walking before you jump?  Here’s an opportunity to show you’re serious and that you give a damn.

 There are a number of places that ISAF could erect scaffolding to achieve the same results.  As far as communicating with satellites, there are numerous positions that it could be placed.  Satellites aren’t that fussy!  To the more critical issue of photographing the finish lines (I gather there is more than one finish line?), the geometry of the coastal position to the finish line at sea is not that critical that the scaffolding could not be moved several metres.

 As an artist, I bet Tessa doesn’t have cash to burn and I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s hocked herself to the eyeballs to set up this temporary business.  If the council didn’t warn her that scaffolding was going to be built on her front door, then it’s their duty to do something about it.  Like move it!