On Sunday 5 May WA Apartment Advocacy undertook another first for the State, opening its inaugural educational shop front in Fremantle, to optimise on the newly endorsed Freo Alternative planning framework.
Launching with the Minister for Housing, the Hon Peter Tinley MLA, the pop-up shop in the High St Mall showcases a number of housing design options commonly referred to as the “Missing Middle.”
The Freo Alternative, which was passed by Fremantle Council in early 2019, has nominated blocks in the locale, which are over 600sqm and which can accommodate three homes while still maintaining 70% of the site as public open space, hosting one deep rooted tree and one car bay per dwelling. This is to combat the 59% loss of tree canopy that Fremantle has experienced in the past four years due to subdivision of blocks in its LGA.
The pop up shop is staffed by John Damant of Arcologic who’s designs reflect the Freo Alternative guidelines.
Samantha Reece, Director of WAAA stated that in order to change opinion, the community needed to have access to knowledge and the ability to discuss new housing concepts fully.
“Recent research by Committee for Perth showed that only 10% of the projects delivered in Perth actually undertook community engagement and it is no wonder why communities then get up in arms,” Ms Reece said.
“If we want the community to embrace housing choice then this needs to be at a grass roots level and what better way then to host a pop-up shop in the High St Mall.
“John has identified every block under the Freo Alternative and planned a solution for each one that also provides long term cost savings and sustainability and as such he was the perfect fit for this educational programme.”
WAAA is renowned for undertaking innovative strategies including hosting the first Australia wide pop up apartment in Perth CBD in November 2017 which led to a 12 month apartment trial at Oracle apartments, again the first social experiment of its kind nationally. The Missing Middle pop up shop will be open for two months commencing from Sunday 5 May.
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