Fremantle Council adopts COVID-19 recovery plan

Fremantle Council has adopted a new plan to drive Fremantle’s economic and community recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 Community Recovery Plan is the product of three COVID-19 recovery working groups established by the council in May, with one working group focused on the local economy, another on community services and the third on infrastructure delivery.

Each working group held a series of external workshops with relevant stakeholders to identify initiatives that would support Fremantle’s economic and community recovery over the next 12-18 months.

Mayor Brad Pettitt said the plan was all about getting Fremantle back on its feet as quickly as possible.

“Fremantle has been particularly vulnerable to this pandemic compared to other parts if the state because our community has a higher proportion of single-person households and a greater proportion of our population aged over 65, while our economy has a concentration of tourism, hospitality, creative industries and retail businesses that have all been heavily impacted,” Mayor Pettitt said. 

“The initial goals of the council in responding to the pandemic have been to prioritise the health and wellbeing of our community, mitigate the significant impacts of COVID-19 on our economy and business community and prioritise the delivery of infrastructure that best supports our recovery, creates jobs, improves liveability and attracts people to Fremantle.

“This COVID-19 Recovery Plan outlines a range of initiatives that will assist the community and businesses to access the support they need to recover from the pandemic, activate places and spaces to bring people back to Fremantle, leverage our unique attractions and assets and invest in a positive and sustainable future.”

Priority initiatives identified in the plan to support the local economy include engaging with large employers to educate their workforces on the experiences, products and services available from local businesses, developing a program of activations and events to draw people back to Fremantle and a tailored destination marketing program targeting Perth residents and intrastate travellers.

Community initiatives include building the capacity of community clubs and organisations and assistance in applying for grants, expanding volunteering pathways and adapting the Neighbour to Neighbour program to a post-COVID environment.

Infrastructure priorities identified in the plan include building the Kings Square play space, pursuing opportunities to improve sporting facilities such as lighting upgrades and ramping up street cleaning and community safety activities.   

To view the City of Fremantle’s COVID-19 Community Recovery Plan click here.