Central Coast Council has expressed its disappointment today at the decision by the Minister for Planning to keep the Warnervale Airport Restrictions Act in place.Warnervale Airport, now Central Coast Airport, is the only airport managed by a Council in Australia that is subject to such restrictions, particularly relating to aircraft movements.Council Administrator, Mr Ian Reynolds, said Council had been up front about its desire to develop the airport for general aviation and leaving the Act in place could impact on this possibility.“The airport is a major asset for Council and the community with the potential to create hundreds of jobs and opportunities for our growing community,” Mr Reynolds said.“We know this because we recently tested the market with our Expression of Interest process to turn the airport into an general aviation hub and the response was positive.“We are currently developing a masterplan out of this EOI process which was always going to subject to rigorous community consultation and state government scrutiny.“This announcement today has significant potential to affect this process and our ability to promote employment on the Central Coast.General aviation includes pilot training, corporate aviation, emergency services and search and rescue, charter, aerial work, survey and monitoring, private flying, commercial operators and tourism related charter operators.General aviation is a significant industry in Australia representing 65 percent of all aircraft hours in Australia and there is currently a high demand for airside general leaseholds close to Sydney.“This is due to general aviation being squeezed out of the Sydney basin, so there are many operators looking for an alternative and the Central Coast is the perfect location,” Mr Reynolds added.“We are not talking major passenger movements here, we are talking about genuine opportunities for smaller operators and aviation manufacturing expertise to become a major industry for the Central Coast.”Council will continue with the master planning process for the airport and is seeking an urgent meeting with the Minister for Planning to discuss the decision.

To download the EOI form and find out more about the Festival, visit the Harvest Festival Central Coast page.

Feel the magic of the new season as Laycock Street Community Theatre comes alive with two of William Shakespeare’s classics – A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Merchant of Venice – this spring.Playing over two nights, on Wednesday 13 and Thursday 14 September, Melbourne City Ballet returns with their magical neoclassical ballet interpretation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.Suitable for all ages, this whimsical and enchanting Shakespearean adaption explores three different stories:

Do you experience anxiety, or are you looking for different ways to relieve stress?Come along to an Open Day on Thursday 24 August 2017, and book into one of many free creative classes, activities or workshops.The day is aimed at showing our community the number of creative possibilities available across the Central Coast, which can help to manage stress and anxiety in all its forms.All classes are free to join or just to observe.View the Full 'Experience, Explore, Be More' Anxiety Program

Central Coast Council is aware the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) is investigating issues arising from the use of the site at Spencer.

Central Coast Council has announced Cleanaway Pty Ltd as their new partner to deliver essential waste services to the community from 1 February 2018.As one of Australia’s leading providers in waste management, Cleanaway believe in partnering with local government and the community to deliver a sustainable future.  Cleanaway best met all the criteria of the tender process particularly in price and service and will have all equipment ready to go for the start of the new contract.Council Administrator, Mr Ian Reynolds, said the community could look forward to a more streamlined waste service due to the economies of scale from amalgamation and the technology advances in waste services.“One of the great benefits of amalgamation is Council’s ability now to negotiate better rates and services for the entire Central Coast and we can see that with this new contract,” Mr Reynolds said.“Previously there were two contracts with different service specifications operating and a border on the Central Coast for waste services – that is no more,”“Cleanaway ticks all the boxes in experience, customer service, technology advances, equipment and local employment.“Local jobs will also be protected with Cleanaway agreeing to employ the garbage drivers at the rate Council negotiated previously with the Transport Workers Union.”The popular six free kerbside collections for each residence are included and residents will be able to book one via a dedicated call centre, website and for the first time via a phone app.Bin sizes will be standardised across the Coast with every residence entitled to a 140 litre bin and a recycling and green waste bin as well.  Residents can also request a larger, 240 litre bin which attracts an extra fee.An independent probity advisor was engaged by Council to oversee the process and the opinion of the tender panel was unanimous for Cleanaway.“I am confident Council has followed due process and has negotiated the best possible outcome for the community who will benefit from the delivery of a superior waste service.Remondis will continue to deliver waste services to the Central Coast until 31 January with Cleanaway taking up the reins from 1 February 2018.

Central Coast Council has been recognised for Excellence in Communications at the Annual RH Dougherty Awards, held last night as part of NSW Local Government Week.The Excellence in Communications Award, a state-wide category, sponsored by News Corp Australia, recognises a communication campaign or event that shifted community attitudes and behaviour to achieve special outcomes during the 2016 calendar year.Council was awarded for their work on the successful opening of the popular Bato Yard in August 2016.RH Dougherty Award judges were quoted as saying:

Central Coast Council will be presenting some of the greats of the country music scene at The Entrance in August.Now in its 17th year, the Central Coast Country Music Festival will take place over a number of local venues on the Coast, with the free main event at Memorial Park, The Entrance on Sunday 13 August.Council’s Connected Communities Group Leader, Ms Julie Vaughan, said the Festival continues to impress visitors each and every year.“It’s great to see the Country Music Festival embraced by the whole region with local venues getting on board with the theme and hosting country artists,” Ms Vaughan said.“This is one event Council is excited to be hosting and is sure to be a weekend of great music and entertainment.“This year we have a great line up of artists, including some of the country’s best.”Memorial Park is in a prime position to host fabulous events, such as this one, situated along the popular waterfront at The Entrance.The headline act on Sunday at The Entrance will be Australian country music legends, Adam Harvey and Beccy Cole – who are stopping off at The Entrance as part of their Great Country Songbook Volume 2 tour.Adam is a proud resident of the Coast who has won many ARIA and CMAA awards, including a number of Golden Guitars and will be joined on the Memorial Park stage by one of Australia’s most successful singer-songwriters, Beccy Cole, who also has won a number of ARIAs and Golden Guitar awards.Memorial Park’s main stage will also have a stellar line up of great local and interstate country music artists including award-winning trio The Wolverines, Tori Darke, Hurricane Fall and 2017 Toyota Star Maker winner, Rachael Fahim.The live music will start from 10am, amongst buskers, amusement rides, food and market stalls.The festival will also provide fans with an opportunity to get up close and personal with the artists with a signing tent after their performances, and festival-goers will be able to purchase artist merchandise.Council Administrator, Mr Ian Reynolds, said the festival is anticipated to draw in country music fans from near and far, providing a great tourism boost for our region.“The Entrance is already a popular tourist destination, and it’s free events like this that really make our region even more attractive to residents and tourists alike,” Mr Reynolds said.“So bring along your chair or blanket to listen to some of Australia’s best country musicians in one of the best outdoor entertainment venues the Coast has to offer.”In conjunction with the free Country Music Festival on Sunday, the weekend will be filled with entertainment in nine local licensed venues across the region featuring 24 local performers which is sure to appeal to all country music fans, on Friday 11 and Saturday 12 August.The full Central Coast Country Music Festival program is available online at theentrance.org.au

A section of Wells Street, Springfield – between Coburg Street and Tangerine Avenue – will be closed on Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 August as Central Coast Council undertakes important drainage upgrade works.All travel lanes will be closed to general traffic and compulsory detours will be in place to allow the project to be completed efficiently and effectivelyEast bound traffic will be redirected to a detour via Coburg Street, Lynnette Crescent, Emma James Street and Tangerine Avenue.West bound traffic will be redirected to a detour via Spring Avenue, Maitland Road, Althorp Street and Brougham Street.Works will be undertaken between 8am – 4pm and crews will manage the project schedule to ensure there is minimal impact on local traffic and nearby residents.Wells Street will re-open following the completion of works on Saturday, before the project recommences on Sunday morning.Warning signs and traffic controllers will be in place for the duration of the closure to notify motorists of the changed conditions;

Central Coast Council is seeking feedback on a proposal to waiver storage fees associated with community halls and centres.The storage fee was adopted in the 2017-18 Fees and Charges, in Council’s Operational Plan.  Following community feedback, Council proposes to permanently waive those storage fees for the 2017-18 year, and has given public notice of that proposal as required by the Local Government Act.The community has an opportunity to review and provide feedback, before the Council considers whether or not to approve that permanent waiver.The proposed introduction of the fee was to ensure all regular user-groups had access to some storage on site.  However with a number of groups having recently rationalised their storage, this fee is no longer considered necessary.Information on the proposed permanent waiver of the storage fee and how to comment can be found at yourvoiceourcoast.com

Central Coast Council has welcomed the NSW Government’s wide-ranging fire safety package as a positive step towards addressing the concerns of high-rise building residents.Council Group Leader, Environment and Planning, Mr Scott Cox said senior Council staff had attended the briefing last week with the Department of Finance, Services and Innovation to hear first-hand the progress of the Taskforce on External Cladding and the next steps for local authorities.“The ten point plan outlined by the Minister is certainly comprehensive, tackling the issue from the aspect of product safety as well as compliance and education for building owners,” said Mr Cox.“Currently, fire safety requirements are set out in the National Construction Code of Australia which addresses minimum requirements for design, construction and performance of buildings throughout Australia.“All buildings on the Central Coast are certified in accordance with this Code.

Central Coast Council has kicked off the new financial year with a median Development Application (DA) turn-around time of 38 days and a significant reduction in the number of DAs under assessment.At the time of amalgamation, the number of DAs under assessment was 810 - it now sits at 496.Council Group Leader of Environment and Planning, Mr Scott Cox, said with new DAs being lodged all the time, new initiatives were put in place to improve assessment times and has resulted in this significant improvement in turn-around times.“We want to give the community and the development industry assurance that DAs will be determined as quickly and consistently as possible and we have achieved that,” Mr Cox said.“Council have also just adopted a single housing Development Control Plan (DCP) for the entire Central Coast which will further assist to expedite processing times and simplify the DA experience for our residents.“The Premier has set a benchmark of 40 days for determination of housing DAs and we are ahead of the game at 38 days.“This is a credit to our staff who have used their new delegations to turn DAs around faster, significantly reducing our backlog without compromising on quality, and in consideration of appropriate community feedback.Council Administrator, Mr Ian Reynolds, said the Central Coast was a growing region and with a predicted increase in the population of over 70,000 in the coming 20 years.“Promoting sustainable and quality housing development is the key.

Coasties are encouraged to pre-register their interest in a seller site for the 2017 Garage Sale Trail, the biggest reuse, recycle and environmentally sustainable Garage Sale in Australia.

Central Coast Council will hold an Extraordinary Meeting on Monday 7 August to determine a number of matters including approving further fees and charges for this Financial year and the determination of a tender for waste management services from 1 February 2018.The meeting will be held at 5pm at the Wyong Chambers in Hely Street.Council’s current waste contract finishes in January 2018 and a new tender must be awarded to ensure this essential service to the community can continue.Other matters to be discussed include:Approval of additional 2017-18 Fees and ChargesApproval of 2016-17 Capital Projects to be continued in 2017-18Proposed waiver of certain feesProposed purchase and installation of replacement visual screen for Gosford StadiumConsideration of Fire and Safety Inspection Reports received from Fire & Rescue NSW in respect of various properties.Council papers are available on Council’s website at centralcoast.nsw.gov.auThe meeting will be open to the public and can also be viewed live on Council’s YouTube Channel.

The NSW Electoral Commission has announced that nominations for candidates seeking to be elected to the Central Coast Council are now open.

Central Coast Council has fined the driver and company responsible for the dumping of 70 tonnes of illegal waste on Sparks Road, Warnervale.The incident, investigated on behalf of Council by the Hunter/Central Coast Regional Illegal Dumping (RID) Squad resulted in fines and recovery of clean-up costs of $36,000 for the illegally dumped building and demolition waste that originated from a Sydney skip bin company.Council Group Leader, Environment and Planning, Mr Scott Cox said this was a great outcome for Council and the community and re-enforced the important role of the RID Squad in identifying and investigating instances of illegal dumping."Illegal dumping is a crime and Council is proactively seeking out illegal dumpers and taking the appropriate action to fine or prosecute them where required,” Mr Cox said.“In this instance, the outcome is a result of community reporting combined with over six months of intensive investigation involving interviews and evidence gathering to identify the key perpetrators.“Council was able to identify and fine an interstate waste disposal company and the driver involved issuing $12,000 in fines and recovering $24,000 in clean-up costs.

Central Coast Council has adopted a new community grants and sponsorship funding program for the Coast, giving the community more opportunities to apply for funding to support their community projects, events, programs and initiatives.Council has aligned its former Gosford and Wyong sponsorship and community grants policies to create programs that will enable Council to better support and build capacity in the Central Coast community.Council Connected Communities Group Leader, Ms Julie Vaughan, said the amalgamation of the two Councils provided a unique opportunity to transform the former programs into a regional suite of community grant funding and sponsorship opportunities to meet the needs of the entire community.“Following an extensive review of the former programs, we now have a community grant and sponsorship program with a clear direction and framework to meet the community’s changing demands,” Ms Vaughan said.“We want to hear all ideas no matter how big or small, as we want to see programs that are dynamic, responsive and targeted to support and grow local community development, sporting, environmental, tourism and economic development initiatives.“We have created five new categories for our community grants, and some of the previous programs have been absorbed into the new ones making it easier to apply.“It may seem like there are big changes and that’s why we are holding a number of information sessions across the Coast to help groups better understand each category and how to apply to make a project happen.”There’s more than $1.4 million in funding available this financial year across the community grants and sponsorship program, including:Community Partnership GrantsCommunity Development GrantsPlace Activation GrantsCommunity Support GrantsHeritage GrantsAwarding Sponsorship Program.Council Administrator, Mr Ian Reynolds, said the Central Coast is the only Council in the state that is also its own region, so the new program is a great opportunity to get that big idea off the ground.“With more than $1.4 million up for grabs, as well as the Stronger Communities Fund from the State Government, there’s never been a better time to help improve the lifestyle on the Coast and put it on the map,” Mr Reynolds said.“This is a chance to think outside the square to deliver unique, big picture project or events to the Coast that really make a difference.“Together we can make the Central Coast the very best place it can be.”Council information sessions on the new community grants and sponsorship funding program will be held on:Tuesday 8 August, 5.30-7.30pm - Central Coast Council Office, WyongThursday 10 August, 1.30-3.30pm - Gosford Smart Work HubThursday 17 August, 1.30-3.30pm - Central Coast Council Office, WyongThursday 17 August, 5.30-7.30pm - Erina CentreThursday 24 August, 1.30-3.30pm - Woy Woy LibraryFriday 1 September, 1-3pm - The Entrance Community CentreFriday 8 September, 1-3pm - Kincumber LibraryFriday 15 September, 1-3pm – Blue Haven Community CentreTo find out more, please visit our Community Grants and Sponsorship Programs page.

The former Wyong Shire Council and Australia China Theme Park Pty Ltd (ACTP) entered into two contracts for the sale of two lots of land in Warnervale to ACTP in February 2016.Central Coast Council acquired the rights and obligations of the former Wyong Shire Council under those two contracts as a consequence of the 12 May 2016 proclamation that merged the former Wyong Shire and Gosford City Councils.The terms of those two contracts remain confidential.

The Central Coast’s Surf Life Saving Clubs will receive $201,000 annually as part of a three year sponsorship funding agreement with Central Coast Council to help continue their vital beach safety work.Surf Life Saving Central Coast (SLSCC) and Central Coast Council are embarking on a newly developed funding program which will allow for the development and growth of Surf Life Saving on the Central Coast and continue to support the 15 surf clubs based in the region.Council Administrator, Mr Ian Reynolds, said the surf clubs provide a vital service to the community and this support from Council would allow them to continue beach safety patrols and educational programs to the Coasts many residents and visitors.“There is no doubt that Surf Life Saving Central Coast volunteers make an invaluable contribution to our community,” Mr Reynolds said.“Last summer season, our volunteer lifesavers saved over 1,160 lives;

Destination Management Plan will put the Central Coast on the mapThe Central Coast will become the natural choice for leisure, business and major events in Regional NSW in a new plan developed by Central Coast Council.Council at its meeting tonight adopted the draft Central Coast Destination Management Plan for public exhibition.