Perth Voice Interactive

DUST clouds, droning construction noise and a collapsed ceiling are forcing small businesses under at the Plaza Arcade, claim traders.

The Hay Street mall arcade is in the middle of being renovated and traders says customers are being driven away by what the mall’s owner describes as “exciting renovations”, with problems literally reaching breaking point on Friday, October 13, when part of a ceiling collapsed.

The Arcade is owned by Singapore-based Starhill Global Reit and is managed locally by Colliers.

The mall’s half-closed for the $6 million redevelopment to bring in big retailer Uniqlo, but small businesses say no customers want to use a mall that looks like a construction site, and is occasionally so full of dust that people need masks or have to cover their faces with their clothes.

Already some shop owners have had to lay off staff and it could be a grim Christmas for remaining retailers, with Starhill refusing to let them out of their leases even though some retailers claim trade has dropped by 80 per cent.

Boiled over 

After Perth MP John Carey got on Colliers case in August (“Fair Trade Blocked”, Voice, August 12, 2017), some shop owners were offered a rent reductions (we’ve heard between 15 and 30 per cent), but on the condition they signed confidentiality agreements.

This week frustrations boiled over and one of the owners sent out a mass email telling the Voice and local politicians how bad the situation was getting.

In the email chain, Plaza Cameras owner Brad Kirk says that on Friday, October 13; “I have not been able to talk to customers as the noise was so loud”.

He couldn’t get Colliers’ agent on the phone, a common complaint we’ve heard from many of the business owners.

He wrote that fellow retailer Outback Red were doing a “live feed shopping session when the noise started”.

The shop does online shopping feeds directly with China with thousands of people watching, keen to buy Akubra hats or RM Williams boots.

The construction noise was so loud Friday they had to cut the feed mid-stream.

The complaints range from the dire to the farcical: one email from a business owner to Colliers’ agent said “you really need to talk to your marketing team.

“Yesterday’s Facebook feed promoted Kamil’s hairdresser [which] has closed down. It really doesn’t get any worse than this”.

The email to Colliers from Alan and Adele Williams from Outback Red, which has been trading in Perth for nearly 30 years, said: “I get the impression that you guys think once Uniqlo opens that everything will be ok.

“You will still have over half of the old arcade with very disgruntled shop owners who have seen their livelihoods ripped from them. I think you and the owners need to implement some sort of effective strategy to get the existing owners back on side otherwise the toxic feeling in the arcade will never go away.

“Firstly you need to convince the current owners that there is a bright and strong future in the Arcade; show us the plans on how the arcade will look when finished try and get us excited about the future then we are more likely to begin to look further in to the future than just to the end of the lease.

“I guess I am just about at the begging stage. Please do something positive, give us something we can work with. I implore you to get some of us involved you may be surprised that there is more to the arcade than just Uniqlo there is some very clever people down here…use our talent, [don’t] squash it.”

Perth councillor Reece Harley, one of the people CC’d into the frustrated email chain, wrote back to tell Colliers’ agent to “go back to your owners at Starhill and advocate for some greater attention, flexibility and support for Plaza Arcade small businesses.

“I was speaking last week with Kamil about the way he was treated and his subsequent exit from the arcade.

“Rents are still not reflective of the dire situation which has been facing operators for months now.”

Cr Harley says compensation for existing retailers should be accounted for in the redevelopment budget.

“The small family businesses of Perth’s arcades are the hallmark of our city, it’s what sets us apart from many large suburban shopping centres. [They] need to be treasured and supported, not put out of business.”

In a response to a half dozen questions from the Voice, Colliers has downplayed the incidents, claiming the dust incident was a one-off (disputed by traders who said it was regular routine to clean the fine layer of dust off their shelves and products) and saying they maintain “an open line of communication with tenants” which “includes daily phone and email contact” (whereas owners have repeatedly said they can’t get anyone on the phone).

by DAVID BELL

ACTING lord mayor James Limnios is bringing some light-heartedness to po-faced diplomatic functions—crooning a Mandarin lovesong to Chinese representatives recently.

Cr Limnios was representing the council at an event to mark 45 years of bilateral relations between Australia and China, while lord mayor Lisa Scaffidi steps down from her duties to await her appeal over the State Administrative Tribunal findings of 45 breaches of the local government act.

He recently hosted an entourage from China, including a choir led by famed conductor Hu Binxu.

Cr Limnios said they were all going through the usual “stiff upper lip formalities,” when he felt the urge to break into song.

“I started talking with them about how important tourism is, our trade, and then I said now that we’ve concluded the formalities it’s time for us to eat and drink and sing”.

“They looked at me and said, ‘sing’?”

He looked around and the crowd of 60 people seemed uncertain, but fellow councillor Lily Chen, originally from China, had taught him the Mandarin song, The Moon Represents My Heart.

“We sang this famous Chinese lovesong. All together, the crowd started clapping, there were tears of joy all through the room.”

He says he’s brought a more relaxed leadership style to the mayoral job.

“I don’t like all these formalities: I want a human to human connection.”

Cr Limnios remains acting lord mayor until the council meeting after the local government election on October 21, when the new line up of the councillors vote to nominate a new deputy mayor.

If councillors Judy McEvoy and Keith Yong—both supporters of Ms Scaffidi—are returned, the new deputy mayor will likely be from among her supporters.

Cr Limnios is endorsing three new candidates—Xiao Liang, Lexi Barton and Natasha Tang.

by DAVID BELL

BAYSWATER council has ensured no private construction can take place on the environmentally-sensitive Carter Wetlands, located beside Eric Singleton Bird Sanctuary.

Part of the privately-owned block was bulldozed last year to make way for a development next door, but now the city’s using $2 million of its own reserves cash and $1.5m of state government money to buy and restore the wetlands, with settlement expected by the end of October.

Bayswater mayor Barry McKenna said the purchase secures the future of the environmentally-sensitive area, which is host to native fauna like quacking frogs, red-tailed black cockatoos and the rufus whistler.

“No private construction or development can now take place on the site and that’s critical,” Cr McKenna says.

“This seasonal wetland not only supports the neighbouring bird sanctuary, but it also provides habitat for endangered oblong turtles, seven species of frogs, and many native birds that struggle to find suitable breeding areas in populated neighbourhoods.

“With urban infill taking place across metropolitan Perth, natural spaces such as the Carter’s wetland are disappearing at an ever increasing rate. Council’s purchase of the wetland on behalf of our community means this natural area is secure.”

Maylands MP Lisa Baker says “I have been involved with this fight since day one and joined the community in their justified outrage when the bulldozers rolled onto the site last year.”

“It is fabulous that the purchase of Carter’s wetlands in Bayswater has finally taken place after over a year of campaigning.

“Probably the important election commitment we made in Maylands, the McGowan Government secured $1.5m for the project to ensure this invaluable community asset is maintained.”

“I hope we can now look to the future maintenance and vegetation works at the site to complement the adjoining Eric Singleton Bird Sanctuary.”

IT’S time for Fremantle’s most sacred cultural event – the annual Blessing of the Fleet.

For 69 years the port city’s Italian community has celebrated the start of the fishing season with a festival that affirms their deep faith and strong ties to their former homeland, as well as the huge contribution they’ve made locally.

While the street procession and fireworks display are colourful highlights of the day, it starts with a devout reflection; a Mass and Communion in honour of Our Lady of Martyrs at St Patrick’s Basilica in Adelaide Street.

The tradition dates back to the 12th century, with legend claiming a boat filled with injured and dying Crusaders returned from the Holy Land in 1188 and found a Byzantine-style icon of the Madonna and child floating on the water. They took it to a hospice built in Molfetta.

For generations people in Molfetta would attribute miracles to the icon.

The festival continues at 9.45am with a Solemn Mass celebrated by Archbishop Barry Hickey.

At 2pm the procession leaves the Basilica and winds its way through Fremantle, stopping at St John’s Anglican Church along the way, which is symbolic of how the blessing has become a celebration for all cultures.

At 3.30pm the Archbishop will perform the blessing at Fishing Boat Harbour, with the statues of the Madonna di Capo d’Orlando and the Madonna dei Martiri of Molfetta taken aboard two of the fishing boats. Legend has it that the choice of boats has been fortuitous for the captains, who’ve gone on to enjoy bountiful catches and safe returns.

There’ll be an early fireworks, perfect for the kids to enjoy at 4.30pm before the procession returns to the Basilica at 5pm.

The festival winds up with the big fireworks display at 8pm, with music and great food surrounding Fishing Boat Harbour.

IT’S called Little Italy by the Sea, but it’s sure getting huge.

A celebration of Italian culture, this year’s Little Italy festival has grown threefold and will transform Fremantle Fishing Boat Harbour with colourful Italian piazzas full of pop-up restaurants and cafes, fashion parades, Ferraris, Ducatis, food demonstrations, wine and beer tasting, cocktails, music, dance, theatre and children’s activities.

The Passione Fashion Gala opens the festival on Friday, October 27 at 6pm and will feature Italian-Australian fashion designers, including a recent arrival on Australia’s shores, Valentina Nardinocchi.

Rome-born Nardinocchi’s On Cut Fashion Project switches between edgy streetwear and high couture, and at late notice (she only moved to Fremantle two months ago) she’s flying in her 36-piece collection. As part of the ticket, fashionistas will also get an exclusive after-hours look at the museum’s Escape from Pompeii exhibition.

Following the opening night, there’ll be plenty more fashion during the weekend of the festival, with 12 parades a day; organiser Nella Fitzgerald says that’s meant lining up 30 stylists to keep up with the 23 models.

She’s also got 30 chefs and cooks to entice festival-goers with the best of Italian cuisine.

Included in a huge line-up of music is Italian Live Lounge, which debuted at last year’s Fringe festival and features the powerful vocals of Monique, who showcases Italian contemporary music from the 90s to the present day – in Italian.

Dancers will demonstrate thousand-year-old tarantellas, there’s pizza-making workshops and face painters will let the kids choose between a Super Mario moustache or Venetian mask.

As part of the prancing horse’s 70th anniversary, the Ferrari Club Australia’s WA branch is putting on an exhibition at Bathers Beach, joined by Ducatti aficionados for a motoring enthusiast’s paradise.

And it all finishes off with the fireworks on Sunday at 8pm.

Little Italy by the Sea
Sat 28 to Sun 29 October
Bathers Beach and Fremantle
Fishing Boat Harbour.

AN adorable dog has been badly poisoned in Maylands just a couple of weeks after the RSPCA reported a rise in pet poisonings.

Karen and Reg Oates from Tourer Court are in their 70s and pet dogs Beer and Cooper are “children” to them.

Last week the couple found Beer in their yard in terrible pain with his blood and diarrhoea everywhere.

He was rushed to a vet where he had to stay under observation as he’d been severely poisoned.

“I contemplated whether I should pen this note as I did not want to give the sick person, who left the poison bait that put our harmless dog through so much agony, the pleasure that they crave,” Ms Oates wrote to the Voice.

“We are all allotted but a short life on this earth, whether we be human or animal.

“It really costs nothing to be understanding, kind and giving.

“Living life this way, I guarantee, will make you feel much happier and rewarded.”

She told the Voice that Beer doesn’t bark at people and isn’t loud, only yapping a bit when dogs walk along the back lane.

He’s now home but is still feeling poorly and sticking very close to Karen and Reg.

In late September the RSPCA reported a rise in dog poisonings, saying that dogs killed by rat bait die in terrible pain and anyone found guilty of poisoning an animal can be fined up to $50,000 or get five years in prison.

by DAVID BELL

CLAISEBROOK residents and traders have formed a new “town team” to help guide the area’s future.

Claisebrook Collective is the sixth town team in the City of Vincent, joining Leederville Connect, Beaufort Street Network, Mt Hawthorn Hub, North Perth Local and OnWilliam.

The groups have organised events like festivals and markets and worked with council to upgrade streets and shape policies.

Change is on the horizon for the Claisebrook area: two upcoming state government decisions could finally see the relocation of two concrete plants that have been a hitch in the area’s development for decades.

They bring dust, noise and trucks to the area, and at least a couple of redevelopment projects are being held off while the plants are still there.

The plants’ licences to operate were temporary and are soon to expire. Both have appealed to operate indefinitely, and it’s now with planning minister Rita Saffioti to decide.

Vincent council’s upcoming Local Planning Scheme would also rezone the area to no longer allow the plants, if it’s approved in its current form by the state government.

Visioning

With those decisions just around the corner the newly formed group is holding a visioning workshop on November 2 to find out what people want for the area’s future.

Deborah Karajas from Claisebrook Collective says “rather than fighting the continued presence of the batching plants ‘action group’-style, we want to speak to the state government’s own objectives in the areas of jobs, transport, sustainability, infill development and housing affordability”.

The concrete plant blocks are prime land and if freed up could help turn the area into the kind of “Metro Hub” the new Labor state government’s keen on: the Claisebrook train station’s close by, bike paths run past, and if car-sharing schemes get up it could make for a car-optional urban village.

“The WA government has a golden opportunity here,” Mrs Karajas says, “there’s a local community proactively calling for a vibrant, higher-density neighbourhood, unlike in most areas where they face significant community opposition to proposed infill.”

The area’s got a lot of character with a scattering of light industrial shops (which they’d like to keep around) and funky old warehouses that’d suit adaptive reuse.

South of the railway line’s ripe for a spruce up too, with a lot of ample space in the form of surface parking lots owned by Perth council and vacant MRA land.

If you have ideas for the area the visioning workshop’s on November 2 at 6pm at the Claisebrook Design Community coworking space, 25 Gladstone St Perth, and the group’s online at http://www.facebook.com/claisebrookcollective/

by DAVID BELL