Fremantle restaurant and bar gets leg up from council
A new restaurant and bar planned for Fremantle development Kings Square has been given a leg up by council.
The Fremantle Doctor Restaurant and Bar has been given a 10-year and lease, $500,000 towards fitting out the new establishment and two years free rent by the City of Fremantle.
The controversial deal has not been universally welcomed, with Marija Vujcic, a south ward councillor in the City of Fremantle, wanting instead to appoint an independent auditor to oversee the decision.
"The council’s role is not to undermine local businesses who already do it tough," she told WAtoday.
Vujcic said the challenges of a slowing economy and the rise of food delivery maps meant the new three storey venue was "unlikely to bring a profit".
Local heritage group Fremantle Society also criticised the deal calling it a "slow motion train wreck".
The Fremantle Doctor will operate out of the two first floors of the triangle portion of Kings Square, with a third floor reserved for events. There will also be an alfresco area with a playground space and a coffee window for passing foot traffic.
The eaterie will serve breakfast, lunch and dinners seven days a week.
The council defended the decision, after struggling to attract tenants to shoulder some of costs of the $220 million redevelopment.
Orient Bar owner Tony Taylor will operate the new venue, saying he was “very confident with the concept” and had invested a “lot of my own money” to get to the project up and running.
"As far as the incentives go, that’s no different to any other incentive in a commercial base especially when you’re taking on a new lease in a new building," he told WAtoday.
Sheridan Randall, 31st January 2020
