Central Coast region
Central Coast Regional Strategy
The NSW Central Coast is well known for its outstanding environment and coastal lifestyle. Covering 1854 square kilometres and 81 kilometres of coastline, more than half the region is national parks, bushland, open space and aquatic environments.
Currently over 300,000 people live on the Central Coast and the region continues to grow at one of the fastest rates in NSW. Just one hour from Sydney and Newcastle, the region offers great opportunities for business with both land available and skilled local workforce.
The Central Coast Regional Strategy is the NSW Government's long term land use plan for the region, which covers the Gosford City and Wyong Shire local government areas. The regional strategy contains policies and actions designed to cater for the region's projected housing and employment growth over the period to 2031.
Due to an improved long-term water supply outlook, the region's population is expected to grow by around 100,000 over this period. This improved outlook has been brought about mainly through recent measures such as the adoption of the local Water Plan 2050 and the NSW Government's commitment to build Tillegra Dam.
The strategy outlines how and where future development should occur to appropriately accommodate this growth and to provide sufficient capacity to cater for more than 45,000 new jobs, reducing the need for local residents to commute outside of the region for work.
Under the strategy:
- The majority of new housing will be accommodated within existing urban areas complementing, amongst other things, the plans for the new Warnervale Town Centre and Wyong Employment Zone.
- The region's environment and valuable natural resources will be protected via important initiatives such as preventing urban residential development on all land west of the F3.
- Existing agricultural areas will continue to be strongly protected from inappropriate development.
- Population forecasts will continue to be monitored and growth projections reviewed accordingly, in particular having regard to the region's water supply outlook.
- New infrastructure for the region will be provided in accordance with the State Infrastructure Strategy.
- Central Coast Regional Strategy - in full, including all maps [PDF 2.09 MB]
- Map 1 - Central Coast Regional Strategy [PDF]
- Map 2 - Centres, current land release areas and North Wyong Shire Structure Plan Area [PDF]
- Map 3 - Employment lands and precincts [PDF]
- Map 4 - Native vegetation [PDF]
- Map 5 - State Infrastructure Strategy for the Central Coast [PDF]
- Fact sheet - Central Coast Regional Strategy - facts and figures [PDF]
- Media release [PDF]
Inquiries: 02 4348 5000 or email centralcoast@planning.nsw.gov.au