Council has reached a significant milestone with the consolidated Central Coast Local Environment Plan and Central Coast Development Plan finalised and in effect from 1 August 2022. 

The Central Coast Local Environment Plan is the primary legal planning document for guiding land use and planning decisions made by Council. It is supported by the Central Coast Development Plan which details planning and design guidelines.

The harmonisation of the former Gosford and Wyong Shire Councils’ planning controls has created uniformed planning controls, a consistent planning framework for the region and pathway toward a smoother process for development applications and assessment. - benefiting the Central Coast community, investors and Council staff.  

Over several years Council staff undertook extensive community and stakeholder consultation that resulted in 750 public submissions from agencies, residents, and businesses which provided valuable input and enabled the creation of a consolidated Plan that reflects community priorities.  Staff worked diligently to review and combine the most appropriate, and generally the most flexible, provisions from the former planning instrument and controls in place. 

It is noteworthy that this is a process that began with the participation of the then elected Councillors of the newly formed Central Coast Council who were involved in developing the consultation plans and also provided their input whilst they were still elected officials of the Council.

It’s enormously beneficial to have consistency in planning controls across the region. This leads to greater efficiencies in preparing and assessing development applications, which encourages investment and provides a boost to local jobs and increases quality housing and infrastructure for our growing population.

The Central Coast Local Environmental Plan 2022 and Central Coast Development Control Plan 2022 can be viewed online at: https://www.centralcoast.nsw.gov.au/plan-and-build/land-use-planning/planning-controls

Rik Hart, Administrator