The 10 buildings on Queen Victoria Street have sat empty for more than a decade due to the repair and conservation work needed to make them habitable again.
DHA managing director Peter Howman said a lot of work needed to be done to restore the buildings to make them suitable again for defence families. They were historically used to house soldiers who manned Fremantle’s guns early last century.
‘When the opportunity arose to redevelop the Fremantle Married Quarters our decision was based on two factors ” its location in relation to Swanbourne made it an ideal location for Defence members to reside and DHA has extensive experience in upgrading more than 60 heritage properties across the country,’ he said.
‘We believed that we could use this experience to preserve a unique part of Fremantle’s military heritage, while also ‘giving it back’ to the Defence members who had once called these cottages home.
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READ NOW‘The cottages are of great historical importance to both the residents of Fremantle and the Australian Defence Force and it is vital that these heritage buildings are preserved for the residents of Fremantle today and for those residents of the future.’
Mr Howman said the buildings needed to be upgraded, adapted and conserved, with a need for the installation of new or refurbished kitchens, living areas, bathrooms, garages and fences.
Griffiths Architects’ Brandon Pratley said they welcomed the opportunity to breathe life into an area that has laid fallow for too long.