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 has launched an annual Community Engagement Plan 2023-24 which will include progress reports to Council as part of the Operational Plan.The Community Engagement Plan seeks to address community concerns about having more awareness of forward community engagement activities being undertaken by Council.Council Director Community and Recreation Services, Melanie Smith said Council has an Engagement Framework that defines our approach to engagement to ensure accountability and consistent application.“The annual Community Engagement Plan will be available for the community to view on Council’s Your Voice Our Coast website and will be updated quarterly in line with Council’s quarterly reporting cycle,” Ms Smith said.“Council’s engagement platform, Your Voice Our Coast sees an average of 98,000 unique visits annually hosting a range of projects from infrastructure delivery to policy updates.“While Council regularly informs the community and does see high engagement, we are always looking at ways we can improve.“By showcasing our upcoming engagement activities, the annual plan will enable a more inclusive process for community engagement, as the community can view other projects that have not yet commence engagement activities and share a preliminary comment on or even opt in to stay updated.“While this is an exciting step for our engagement with the community it is also a timely reminder that planned activities may change and additional engagement activities may be identified as we progress projects.Council Administrator Rik Hart said we’re committed to building strong relationships and delivering a great customer experience in all our interactions.“This plan will help to engage and communicate openly and honestly with the community to build a relationship based on trust, transparency, respect and use community participation and feedback to inform decision making.“This plan is a roadmap for the community to ensure a balanced and collaborative decision-making process between the community and Council is achieved.”View the Community Engagement Plan at yourvoiceourcoast.com/engagementplan and sign up to Council’s eNews to have your say.

   Central Coast Council is calling on local amateur artists over the age of 50 to enter its popular Grandma Moses Art Competition and Exhibition, hosted at Gosford’s 50+ Leisure and Learning Centre.Central Coast Council Director Community and Recreation Services, Melanie Smith said this long-standing fixture on the cultural calendar is now in its 39th year. “The competition takes inspiration from the life and work of American artist Anna Mary Moses, affectionately known as Grandma Moses, who created over 1,500 artworks between the ages of 78 and 101,” Ms Smith said. “It’s never too late to expand or learn new skills, and this is a great opportunity for our older residents to brush up on their painting or drawing skills, exhibit their artwork and potentially win.

Central Coast Council has commenced the Somersby and Kariong Catchments Overland Flood Study, and is calling on the community and stakeholders to participate in an online survey to help provide a better understanding of overland flooding in the area.An online survey is open from Monday 21 August until Sunday 22 September on Council’s engagement hub, yourvoiceourcoast.com.Council Director of Environment and Planning, Alice Howe said the results of this survey will help Council better understand, plan for, and manage the risk of flooding across the Kariong and Somersby catchment areas.“Strategic flood studies and plans are used by Council to appropriately manage development within Central Coast floodplains and to guide mitigation works (under the NSW Government's Flood Prone Land Policy),” Dr Howe said.“We have engaged a specialist flood consultant to develop a Flood Study for the Kariong and Somersby catchment area, which will define the nature of overland flooding and provide a comprehensive technical understanding of flood behaviours and their associated risks.“The study area consists of the Kariong residential area, the Somersby industrial area, and the rural residential area immediately to its north.

Central Coast Council has developed online flood risk tools and updated flood and emergency planning information on centralcoast.nsw.gov.au, to help the local community understand their own flood risk and be adequately prepared to respond.Council Director Environment and Planning, Alice Howe said we’ve experienced various types of flooding on the Central Coast and know that flooding will continue to be part of our lives, and can occur at any moment.“Whilst it’s not always possible to predict when, where, or how big the next flood will be - we can estimate the likelihood of different sizes of floods and their consequences by using computer flood modelling,” Dr Howe said.“Our new interactive online flood risk mapping tool for Tuggerah Lakes area, draws on current flood levels directly from the Bureau of Meteorology and converts it into a visual display, which shows the extent of current, minor, moderate or major flood levels for specific properties in the area.