MEDIA RELEASE Central Coast Council and local police have partnered up again to reduce casualties from speed related crashes on local roads through an education and awareness campaign during May.

We’ve partnered again with local police to reduce casualties from speed related crashes on local roads through an education and awareness campaign this May. This road safety campaign coincides with National Road Safety Week (5-12 May 2024), which encourages drivers across Australia to slow down on the roads, look out for others and make safe decisions so no-one is injured or loses their life on our roads, including from the result of speeding. Speeding has devasting consequences for our local community but is preventable. Unfortunately, speeding remains the number one contributing factor in road casualty crashes on the Central Coast with the majority of all injury and fatal crashes occurring on roads with a 50km/h speed limit. All drivers have the power to make positive choices every time they are behind the wheel, and these can reduce the rate of injury or death - especially on local roads where there are often children, older road users, pedestrians or cyclists around.Remember that 50km/h is the default speed limit in built up urban areas in NSW unless sign posted otherwise.

Pelican Park Playground is set to be enjoyed for generations of families to come as construction begins on a new and improved playspace.The upgrade to the playspace will be completed thanks to a $100,000 commitment by the NSW Government under the Local Small Commitments Allocation Program in partnership with Central Coast Council, which is also contributing almost $100,000 to the project.Community consultation guided the design of the upgraded Pelican Park playspace, with the design including both nature-play and pirate-themed play concept designs.

I encourage everyone to have their say about the quality of life on the Central Coast.

Central Coast Council has received $2,443,750 from the Australian and NSW Governments as part of the Community Local Infrastructure Recovery Program to improve access for Soldiers Beach and Jenny Dixon Beach.The works will replace or repair vehicle and pedestrian accesses that were damaged during the severe storms in 2021 and 2022, including:Extension of the stairs in front of the Soldiers Beach Surf Life Saving ClubReplacement of the northern stairs at Soldiers BeachReplacement of the concrete vehicle access ramp at Soldiers BeachRepair of the Jenny Dixon Beach stairsEach of the four projects required detailed preliminary investigation work, designs, and approvals to ensure longevity before shovels could hit the ground.Soldiers Beach Access WorksCOMPLETE:

Niagara Park Stadium is set to be transformed into a first-class sporting venue, with upgrade works underway to improve accessibility of the venue ahead of welcoming a full calendar year of regional and state championships. The venue will host major events featuring Netball NSW Regional League, Drill dance NSW State Titles, Northern NSW Futsal Regional Schools Championships, Australian Tai Chi Masters Tournament, Table tennis NSW Country Championships, Football NSW Regional Schools Knockout, Basketball NSW Country Championships, Basketball NSW NEJL Tournament, Netball NSW Premier League games, Australian Highland Dance Festival, Central Coast Crystal Festival and Table Tennis NSW City v Country.The $2.8 million project has received $850,000 from the NSW Government Stronger Country Community Fund, with Council funding the remaining contribution of $1,950,000 from planned capital expenditure.Funding for the upgrades is a fantastic outcome and one to celebrate.

Niagara Park Stadium is set to be transformed into a first-class sporting venue, with upgrade works underway to improve accessibility of the venue ahead of welcoming a full calendar year of regional and state championships. The venue will host major events featuring Netball NSW Regional League, Drill dance NSW State Titles, Northern NSW Futsal Regional Schools Championships, Australian Tai Chi Masters Tournament, Table tennis NSW Country Championships, Football NSW Regional Schools Knockout, Basketball NSW Country Championships, Basketball NSW NEJL Tournament, Netball NSW Premier League games, Australian Highland Dance Festival, Central Coast Crystal Festival and Table Tennis NSW City v Country.The $2.8 million project has received $850,000 from the NSW Government Stronger Country Community Fund, with Council funding the remaining contribution of $1,950,000 from planned capital expenditure.Council Director of Community and Recreation Services, Melanie Smith said funding for the upgrades is a fantastic outcome and one to celebrate. “Council undertook community consultation to inform the design and construction of the venue, which will result in an accessible modern facility, improving what was previously in place.“Niagara Park Stadium is a regional indoor sporting complex, and its facilities are widely used by schools, local patrons, sporting clubs, regional and state junior sporting organisations. “The facility is primarily used for basketball, netball, roller hockey and many other indoor sports.

The construction for the replacement of Soldiers Beach northern stairs and vehicle access ramp have commenced today, 29 April 2024, and are expected to be complete by September 2024, subject to weather.These works are the last of the four projects to be undertaken following $2.44 million in funding received from the Australian and NSW Governments as part of the 2021 Community Local Infrastructure Recovery Program with additional contributions from Central Coast Council to improve access for Soldiers Beach and Jenny Dixon Beach.Minister for the Central Coast David Harris said Soldiers Beach is a popular spot for locals, and repairing the northern stairs and vehicle ramp access is an important project to ensure they can continue to use this community asset.“We know public spaces, like beaches, are not only enjoyed by everyone in the community but also visitors, and this co-funded program is ensuring that damaged community infrastructure is being repaired so it can be accessed for many years to come.”Council Acting Director Environment and Planning, Luke Sulkowski said Council is pleased to be reaching the final milestone of the four projects.“Replacement of the northern stairs and the vehicle access ramp have been long awaited by the community.