Freo in building height stoush

The decades-long fight to protect Fremantle's low-rise character has entered a new phase with battlelines drawn over plans to increase height limits across a dozen east-end city sites.

The influential Fremantle Society, formed in 1972 on the back of bitter redevelopment rows, is behind the latest challenge to proposed changes to the City of Fremantle Town Planning Scheme.

While insisting that it is not anti-development, the society says the amendment, which will allow maximum heights of between five and 10 storeys at the 12 sites - up from five - was "simply too big".

The property sector, however, has welcomed the changes, and the council notes they would help meet State planning targets to boost the inner city population from 800 to 3500 and add 70,000sqm of office space and 20,000sqm of retail space.

Fremantle Society president Roel Loopers said though both sides agreed the mostly 1960s-built properties should be redeveloped, he believed the council was in "panic mode".

"The footprint is simply too big for that small part of the city," he said.

Mr Loopers said the society wanted the height limits of between three and six storeys at the 12 sites and argued there was vacant space within existing city buildings.

It's a view shared by about 30 people who attended the annual electors' meeting last week.

In a unanimous vote, which will now go to the council for consideration, they called for the amendment to be scrapped and only four sites to be developed initially - the Woolstores Shopping Centre, Wilson Parking carpark, Point Street carpark and Target building.

Fremantle MLA Adele Carles, who plans to table a petition in Parliament with hundreds of signatures against the amendment, said it paved the way for high-rise buildings in the city centre, which she contends would erode the heritage values of Fremantle.

However, Fremantle Chamber of Commerce chief executive Tim Milsom said Fremantle needed to re-think its development approach if it was to compete with other centres such as Joondalup and Midland.

Fremantle mayor Brad Pettitt said Fremantle had limited sites to pursue medium-density development away from heritage areas.

Far from panicking, he said the proposed changes were evidence-based following "plenty of studies".

Dr Pettitt said when the amendment goes before the planning committee tomorrow it would show a "tweaking" of bulk and height at some sites with design criteria strengthened.