Council is heading back out to the community to talk all things Gosford, just four months after its major community consultation project for the revitalisation of Gosford waterfront.

Council Chief Executive Officer, David Farmer said during the consultation on the Gosford waterfront revitalisation, Council received an overwhelming response from the community asking about the future development of Gosford.

“The Central Coast is a vibrant and rapidly growing region, with Gosford set to become the geographic centre of Australia’s first global city region, a region where six cities come together to become a world-leading place for education, employment and community,” Mr Farmer said.

“Several major government and non-government projects proposed to revitalise Gosford City are approved or are working their way through the planning process.

“As identified by the NSW Government, Gosford is the chosen city for the proposed new university and TAFE campuses, upgrades to the stadium, development of the regional library, and the NSW Government’s faster train proposal.

“Let’s Talk Gosford will bring Council directly to our local community to discuss and receive feedback on Council projects planned for Gosford. These projects will support Gosford’s emergence as a city worthy of investment and support.

“Community feedback is crucial, and we are calling on the local community and businesses to share their thoughts and feedback on how they envision Gosford in years to come. This will assist Council in lobbying state and federal government support for the needed revitalisation of Gosford.

“It’s important that the communities’ values and aspirations continue to be reflected in the direction and decision-making for Gosford.”

'Let’s Talk' Drop-in Information Day

Council will host drop-in information sessions on Thursday 30 March at Parkhouse Gosford (Kibble Park, 124 Donnison St).

Two separate sessions will be held to allow the local community and businesses to find out information and have their questions answered about future projects, plans and opportunities for Gosford.

• 'Let’s Talk' drop-in – businesses and collaborators, 10am-12pm
• 'Let’s Talk' drop-in – broader community, 1pm-4pm

There will also be a Public Hearing from 5pm-7pm on the same day at Central Coast Stadium (14 Dane Dr, Gosford) on the proposed reclassification of land at 73-75 Mann St, Gosford to support development of the proposed new TAFE campus.

Projects on-show include:

• Kibble Park Place Plan - for a long time, Kibble Park has been the heart of Gosford. It needs a refresh to make it a safe, welcoming and vibrant park that we can all be proud of.
  
  Council commenced consultation on the revitalisation of the park in 2020, and now that we have refined the design, we want to hear if we’ve got it right. We’re inviting the community to come and view the draft Kibble Park Concept Design and have their say at yourvoiceourcoast.com/gosford
   
• Central Coast Street Design Manual – this Manual and the accompanying set of Standard Drawings and Technical specifications are a first for the Central Coast.
  
  Streets have several functions – not only do they provide safe routes from place to place, but they can become a place in themselves inviting people to stay, socialise and interact. The Street Design Manual will support consistency across the regions’ town centres through street design, amenity and functionality while also supporting the unique character each place has.
  
  We are inviting the community to find out more and have their say on the draft Central Coast Street Design Manual at yourvoiceourcoast.com/gosford
   
• Central Coast Local Housing Strategy - Council has prepared a draft Central Coast Local Housing Strategy to manage the supply of housing within the region.
  
  The Local Housing Strategy explores the challenges associated with housing such as continuing rapid population growth, the shortage of low-cost rental accommodation and the lack of diversity within the existing housing stock and identifies a vision and key objectives to address these challenges.
  
  A coordinated approach across all levels of government and the private sector is required to support diverse and sustainable housing on the Central Coast.
  
  We invite the community to find out more and have their say on the draft Central Coast Housing Strategy at yourvoiceourcoast.com/housing
   
• Reclassification of Council-owned land at 73-75 Mann St Gosford - Council is holding a public hearing into the reclassification of Council-owned land from ‘Community’ to ‘Operational’ at 73-75 Mann St Gosford in accordance with the Local Government Act 1993. This is required to support development of a new TAFE campus on the site.
  
  The Public Hearing will be held on Thursday 30 March at Central Coast Stadium (14 Dane Dr, Gosford) from 5pm-7pm in the corporate marquee located on the ground floor of the Western side of the stadium. For more information visit centralcoast.nsw.gov.au/mannstgosford
   
• Safer Cities: Her Way - this is one of five project streams under the Safer Cities program by the NSW Government which is investing $30 million over the next two years to trial place-based approaches. The project will look at how we can improve safety for women, girls and gender diverse people when travelling to, through and within public spaces and transport hubs.
  
  The program will include co-design of solutions with women, girls and gender diverse people, trial of interventions around transport hubs to improve negative perception of safety and evaluation to inform future projects.
   
• Gosford waterfront revitalisation – this project will propel the city to a new status – presenting a world-class destination with outstanding health, education, entertainment and lifestyle facilities with opportunities for businesses, visitors and the community.
   
• Gosford Regional Library – libraries are at the heart of creating liveable, connected and sustainable cities. The vision for the new Regional Library in Gosford is to create an iconic building in the heart of Gosford CBD, where our community can connect, create and collaborate.
  
  The development application for Gosford Regional Library has been approved by the NSW Department of Planning and Environment. The next step is to award the tender of the project to begin construction of the new library.
   
• Water and sewer projects - Council has nine water and sewer upgrade packages planned for Gosford over the coming years. These projects will set the foundations to support Gosford’s entry to becoming an iconic waterfront city and will allow for increased capacity across the water and sewer network.
  
  Find out more and stay up to date about current major projects at centralcoast.nsw.gov.au/major-projects
   
• Roads and drainage project – Council has 81 roads and drainage projects planned for Gosford over the coming years. These projects will further support the infrastructure requirements for Gosford to fulfil its role as the capital of the Central Coast and a thriving city.
  
  Find out more and stay up to date about current major works at centralcoast.nsw.gov.au/major-projects
   
• Coastal Management Program: Hawkesbury-Nepean River System, including Brisbane Water - Central Coast Council, in collaboration with five other councils, is developing a Coastal Management Program (CMP) for the Hawkesbury-Nepean River System which includes our beloved Brisbane Water. The CMP will set the long-term strategy for the management of and actions to protect and enhance the waterway. To find out more visit yourvoiceourcoast.com/waterways 

Let’s Talk Gosford! Find out more and have your say online at yourvoiceourcoast.com/gosford

ENDS