Fremantle Council gives thumbs up to A Shed plans

Fremantle Council has supported the transformation of the historic A Shed on Victoria Quay into a microbrewery, restaurant and cafe.

In August last year the state government granted a lease to Gage Roads Brewing Company to refurbish and redevelop the almost 100-year-old building into a family-friendly harbourside venue geared towards attracting both locals and tourists.

The building is owned by Fremantle Ports and the WA Planning Commission is the approving authority for the development, but the City of Fremantle was invited to comment on the proposal.

Last night the council’s Planning Committee voted to recommend the proposed alterations to the building and a change of land use to a hospitality venue be approved.

Fremantle Deputy Mayor Andrew Sullivan said the redevelopment of the A Shed was an important step towards the transformation of Victoria Quay into a world-class waterfront destination.

“The City of Fremantle has been advocating for the redevelopment of Victoria Quay into a vibrant commercial and tourism precinct for many years through initiatives like our Freo 2029: Transformational Moves strategy and our representation on the state government’s Victoria Quay steering group,” Deputy Mayor Sullivan said.

“The Gage Roads venue will be a great addition that will help fill the gap between the E-Shed markets and WA Maritime Museum and provide day and night activation to our waterfront.

“Hopefully this will be the first of a series of new opportunities to fulfil the vision for an amazing tourism circuit that starts and finishes at Freo's gateway railway station, and circumnavigates the west end of Victoria Quay, Arthur Head, Bathers Beach and Fishing Boat Harbour, the Esplanade and the Cappuccino Strip.

“It’s been a long journey to open up the city’s world-class waterfronts, but the momentum is really building at both Victoria Quay and Fishing Boat Harbour.

“The A Shed development is an encouraging step and we look forward to working with the state government to progress this exciting period of transformation in Fremantle.”

The proposed works at the A Shed include the demolition of existing internal walls and the creation of new entrances to the building, a new internal fit out and the addition of a new shade structure in front of the building, as well as the painting and refurbishment of the exterior walls and roof.

The City of Fremantle’s Freo 2029: Transformational Moves strategy, first released in 2015, calls for the implementation and extension of the Victoria Quay Commercial Precinct Plan to integrate a re-activated waterfront area with the Fremantle city centre.

Critical projects to make Victoria Quay development-ready include shifting the unsightly bus interchange away from the front of Fremantle Station and developing a major urban gateway that links the waterfront to the station and city centre.

To view the Freo 2029: Transformational Moves strategy click here.