Central Coast Council is pleased to announce the winners of this year’s Gosford Art Prize, with $28,000 in prize pool money awarded to artists from across the Central Coast and beyond.This year 948 entries were entered from across Australia.

The Central Coast is once again putting the pedal to the metal to host ChromeFest - one of NSW biggest cars shows - at The Entrance, 27-29 October.There is no car show that compares to the Central Coast’s home-grown ChromeFest where hundreds of car enthusiasts and rock ‘n’ roll fans come together to kick up their heels for a tribute to classic cars, vintage glamour and everything 1950s and 60s.ChromeFest is a free three-day event – Friday 27 October to Sunday 29 October – held at The Entrance and presented by Central Coast Council, with support from a range of sponsors.Central Coast Council Director Community and Recreation Services, Melanie Smith said ChromeFest 2023 event program, is all about cars, chrome, fashion, swing dancing and tunes from the good ol’days.“Now in its 15th year, the festival’s iconic Show n’Shine classic car displays have been opened for the first time to include show car owners of all makes and models pre 1979 with a passion for car shining!

Central Coast Council is continuing to provide opportunities for local creatives to shine by showcasing their skills, art and talents in the next Creative Spaces program announced for 2023 and beyond.The line up of creatives to host activities in the Gallery Container in the Toukley Village Green for the Creative Spaces 2023-24 program will positively contribute to the cultural life and increase visitation to Toukley for the benefit of local business.Council Director of Community and Recreation Services, Melanie Smith said Council was proud to have curated an engaging program that fills the Gallery Container with creative workshops, exhibitions and demonstrations to ensure the greatest benefit to local makers and creators, and the wider community.“Council is funding three visual arts programs to occupy three-month blocks from 11 September 2023 to 28 June 2024,” Ms Smith said.“The program is now live and is vibrant and dynamic, so we encourage all community members to explore the schedule and regularly visit Creative Spaces in Toukley’s Village Green.

Soldiers Beach stairs in front of the Surf Life Saving Club has recently undergone works to enhance access with a new and improved stair extension - and the stairs are now open for use!This is the first of four projects to be completed following $2.44million in funding received from the Australian and NSW Governments as part of the 2021 Community Local Infrastructure Recovery Program to improve access for Soldiers Beach and Jenny Dixon Beach.Council Director of Environment and Planning, Alice Howe said that Council is pleased to have one of the four projects completed and looks forward to the progression of the remaining three.“While the stairs were still safe for the public to use, the funding from the Australian and NSW Governments has allowed us to enhance the integrity and improve beach access with the stair extension,” said Dr Howe.“The stair extension means the community can access the beach after coastal erosion events that decrease the amount of sand at the base of the stairs.

Central Coast Council is inviting the community to share their feedback to help further inform the next iteration of the Central Coast Community Strategic Plan (CSP) and the Local Strategic Planning Statement (LSPS).Council’s Director Environment and Planning, Alice Howe said Council wants to hear from all community members about their lived experiences, values, perceptions and desires for the Central Coast region.“The current CSP was adopted in 2018 and provides the Central Coast community’s vision for the region and describes the key objectives we can all work towards to achieve that vision over the next ten years,” Dr Howe said.“The current interim LSPS was adopted in 2020 and frames the future land use direction for the Central Coast over the next 20 years.

Central Coast Council is inviting residents to have their say on a proposal that will see 80 lots of land across the local government area reclassified from operational land to community land.The decision to move towards the reclassification of Council-owned land was driven by community feedback during the Council Community Land Plan of Management process earlier this year. Numerous representations were received from community members that some operational land (which is typically used for day-to-day Council operations) would be better classified as community land (which is typically held in perpetuity for public use).Lots that have been identified for reclassification in 12 suburbs across the Central Coast include:* Four sites with community facilities comprising five lots in all:* Glenning Valley:

Council’s 2020-2025 Playspace Strategy provides strategic direction for the development and sustainable management of playspaces on the Central Coast, which have so far this year seen over $1.7M of upgrades.Playspaces at fourteen locations across the Central Coast including Budgewoi, Berkley Vale, Woy Woy Bay, Koolewong, Wyongah, Toukley, Killarney Vale, Tuggerah, Terrigal, Blue Haven, Hamlyn Terrace and Woongarrah have all been part of Council’s upgrade program.

In the lead-up to the coming bushfire and storm season, this September Central Coast Council is hosting a series of webinars and promoting events to empower the community to take proactive steps to better prepare themselves, their families, and their homes for emergencies.Council Director of Community and Recreation Services, Melanie Smith said preparing for emergencies is important and a shared responsibility.

Woy Woy’s beloved Pelican Park is getting a makeover with survey results revealing the community is very invested in its future.More than 500 people made submissions during the consultation period in May which has helped inform Council’s approach to the design of the revamped playspace.In what has been one of the closest results to date through a public survey, opinion was almost equally divided between Option 1 of nature play and Option 2 of pirate theme play.As a result, a hybrid model featuring the best elements from both concepts will now progress through to a design stage.It is anticipated that the designs will be exhibited publicly in the final quarter of this year, with construction slated to begin sometime after peak summer season.Council’s Director Community and Recreation Services Melanie Smith said the community’s input was vital to this project.“Council has listened to the survey results and noted community preference to ensure that  

Central Coast Council is encouraging the community to attend a free outdoor movie night at the welcoming town centres of Toukley, Gosford and Wyong across the Coast these school holidays.The free open-air cinema nights are aimed to activate spaces and places to complement other activities within the town centres for families, community and visitors while supporting small businesses.