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The region’s enviable natural environment and the lifestyles it affords, as well as its relative housing affordability (by comparison to Sydney), will continue to drive growth in the housing market. By 2036, the region is expected to have 36,350 more households, requiring 41,500 new homes.16
Demographic trends towards smaller households and an ageing population will fuel the need for greater housing diversity in locations with good access to transport, health and community services, and more affordable housing.
Providing a variety of housing types, including more affordable options in both existing and new areas across the region will allow people to age-in-place and maintain their connections with social networks and family. It may also avoid concentrations of particular types of housing, such as seniors housing and holiday housing with absentee owners.
Targeted infill development will be encouraged in and around local centres and other areas with sufficient infrastructure to support growth.
New housing in these areas will be encouraged through a combination of strategies including mixed use zones, medium-density development incentives and small-lot construction.
The median sale price of housing in the Central Coast has increased substantially, from $125,000 in 1991 to $275,000 in 2002 and $420,000 in 2014.17 The Plan aims to capitalise on the region’s competitive advantage on housing prices by focusing new housing in existing and committed release areas.
New greenfield development opportunities are focused on the Warnervale-Wadalba land release area and in locations identified in the North Wyong Shire Structure Plan.
To accommodate the projected housing growth over the next 20 years, 2,075 new homes will be needed each year, on average. This is 685 more homes each year than the average annual housing production of 1,390 dwellings over the 19 years to 2014-15.18
Housing supply will be accelerated by continuing monitoring programs, refining regulatory processes and supporting collaborative management and governance – to deliver housing and associated infrastructure as and where required.
Inter-regional links between growing communities in the north of the region and the southern parts of the Lake Macquarie local government area will need to be managed to ensure a seamless transition for communities and the natural environment.
Careful management of urban expansion in rural villages will minimise the impact of development on these areas and assist these communities to be more sustainable.
The Central Coast has local centres and neighbourhoods that offer housing choice, local jobs and services to meet residents’ daily and weekly needs including retail, health and personal services.
Locating retail and commercial development in centres will make them more robust and maximise the use of existing infrastructure and community facilities. It will also allow for more efficient public and active transport use and catalyse further urban renewal.
If well configured and well designed, local centres can have a unique character. They can create a sense of place, belonging and connectedness that makes them an attractive place for residents and investors.
While the number of single and couple-only households is growing, most houses in the Central Coast region are three and four-bedroom detached homes. More studio, one and two-bedroom dwellings will be required to meet changing demand.
Social and affordable housing will be needed for people on low incomes and a variety of housing solutions will be developed for different parts of the region. Increasing the overall supply of housing will help to reduce upward pressure on the cost of housing.
Weekend and seasonal visitors will continue to influence local housing markets, particularly in coastal areas, by driving demand for short term accommodation and holiday homes.
The North Wyong Shire Structure Plan will be updated to reflect new planning and to reconfirm the priorities for future releases.
Updates will provide guidance on release areas identified in the Structure Plan as ‘strategically located, constrained sites subject to future investigation and offset strategies to define conservation requirements and development potential’. These areas contain clay and coal resources, have high environmental value and contain key components of the potential green corridor areas and habitat networks outlined in the Structure Plan.
There may be pockets of land available on the urban fringe that are suitable for development. Investigations will identify areas that can be efficiently serviced and avoid development in areas with high environmental values and hazards.
The Central Coast offers rural lifestyles in Mangrove Mountain, Yarramalong and Somersby, which are surrounded by pristine natural environments. These areas have good access to the region’s strategic centres and the northern suburbs of Sydney.
Managing the expansion of these villages will improve the resilience of existing rural communities, support local employment and provide housing opportunities to allow people to age-in-place. It will also protect the rural character of the region.
Around 450 hectares of land is already zoned for rural-residential purposes in areas such as Yarramalong, Jilliby, Matcham-Holgate and Bensville. Future rural-residential development will be managed to avoid impacts on the viability of agricultural enterprises, biodiversity values and future potential urban expansion opportunities.
23.1 Include guidance in local land use strategies for expanding rural villages and rural–residential development so that future rural-residential development will:
Goal 1 – A prosperous Central Coast with more jobs close to home
Goal 2 – Protect the natural environment and manage the use of agricultural and resource lands
Goal 3 – Well–connected communities and attractive lifestyles
Page last updated: 15/09/2021