Ten-year wait for lease at Gilbert Fraser Reserve finally at an end

The 10-year wait for a permanent lease at Gilbert Fraser Reserve is finally over for North Fremantle Associated Clubs.

The co-operative body representing clubs using the reserve signed the current lease — which covers the buildings, oval and public open space — in 1994 before it expired in 2015, continuing on a month-by-month basis ever since.

After two years of negotiation, Fremantle council last week agreed to a 10-year lease, with the option for another 10 years, for a peppercorn rent of $1 per annum.

However, the leased area now only includes the buildings, with priority booking for the oval, as the council seeks to balance the need to manage its public open space for the whole community. The additional 10-year lease will also only kick in if the club installs new floodlighting for