Point Street hotel recommended for approval

A revised proposal for a hotel and apartment development on Point Street has been recommended for approval by the Fremantle Council’s Planning Committee.

The $45 million proposal by SKS Group involves the partial demolition of the existing Point Street car park, which will be replaced with a seven storey Doubletree by Hilton hotel with 168 rooms and a ground floor restaurant.

The development will also include a seven storey residential building comprising 45 apartments, a common area gym, 72 car bays and an internal courtyard, as well as ground floor retail and office space.

The project will now be referred to the Metro South West Joint Development Assessment Panel for a final decision. 

Last night the Planning Committee also approved a proposal to develop tourist accommodation at the rear of a property in Essex Street.

Eight accommodation units will be included in the first three floors of the development, with a rooftop terrace on the fourth floor.

Fremantle Mayor Brad Pettitt said the development of more tourist accommodation would be a boon for the city.

“We know that travellers from all over the world love coming to Fremantle, but a lot of those visitors are staying in Perth and coming to Freo as a day trip,” Mayor Pettitt said.

“One element of our Destination Marketing Strategy is to position Fremantle as an overnight destination, so obviously having more hotels and accommodation choices is really important.

“We also want to host a lot more conventions and conferences in Fremantle, so more hotel rooms will help with that as well.

“With Fremantle’s position as the gateway to Rottnest Island and our continued popularity as a home port for cruise ships I’m confident the demand for accommodation in Fremantle will only continue to grow.”

The Doubletree by Hilton proposal is just one of many hotel developments in the pipeline for Fremantle.

The City is also assessing a new application to redevelop the Woolstores shopping centre, which includes a 141-room hotel along with new commercial office space, retail outlets and a child care centre.

Work is currently underway to convert a row of the historic Warders Cottages on Henderson Street into a boutique 11-room hotel with a new indoor and outdoor bar and dining area nestled between the rear of the cottages and the Fremantle Markets.

Plans have also been approved to transform Fremantle’s state heritage-listed Police and Courthouse complex into a hotel and restaurant precinct.

The development plan includes a 62-room hotel on the police station site, adapting the courthouse into a bar and restaurant and adapting the lock-up and police quarters into shops and commercial units.