Council not satisfied with scale of revised hotel

Fremantle Council has, for the second time in two months, rejected plans for a four-storey hotel development on Essex Street because of its visual impact on the surrounding heritage area.

The proposed development at 19 Essex Street would include 80 rooms with 247 beds, communal dining, kitchen, laundry and bathroom facilities and a small bar, trading as the Lylo Hotel.

The application returned to Fremantle Council after the Metro Inner Development Assessment Panel (DAP) deferred its decision to give the applicant an opportunity to address issues concerning the building’s height, impact on neighbours and waste management.

The revised plans, which City officers confirmed met planning rules, included a 48cm height reduction, window treatments for the amenity of neighbouring properties and an updated waste management strategy.

Neighbours living in heritage buildings on Essex and Norfolk Streets spoke of their overshadowing concerns at Wednesday night's council meeting.

In deliberations, Councillor Andrew Sullivan explained why he couldn't recommend approval of the amended plans.

"Our job is to have an opinion on behalf of the overall community," Cr Sullivan said.

He agreed that tourism was an appropriate land use in the city centre, but said that he didn’t think the applicant had done enough to make the addition at the rear fit into the immediate environment around it, meaning the neighbouring single storey heritage buildings.

"The crux of the matter is the visual impact of the built form and scale.

"It was never about whether the Scheme should allow the four storeys, because that is what it allows, and that is appropriate for a city centre. But the Scheme also requires more subtlety than I think has been brought forward," Cr Sullivan said.

Council will recommend that the Metro Inner DAP refuses the application when it considers its decision.

Above image: A 3D representation of the proposed four storey addition at 19 Essex Street.