If you plan on heading to the beach, make sure you do it at one of our 15 popular patrolled ocean beaches where you will be in safe hands with our lifeguards (Monday to Friday) and volunteer lifesavers (weekends and public holidays).To cater for the influx of tourists we expect to visit the Coast, our lifeguards will also return to Budgewoi Beach to patrol over the four-day Easter long weekend (Friday 14 to Monday 17 April) from 9am to 5pm, with a focus on the flagged area.There are a few simple rules to help keep you safe on our beaches:

Council is continuing its commitment to ensure the quality of our local road network, with important upgrade works taking place on The Ridgeway at Lisarow, between Macdonalds Road and Tapley Road.Designed to enhance the safety of this popular route, this project will see substantial earthworks to accommodate a new road alignment and width, construction of street drainage, kerb and gutter, and a new road pavement.The project will also include the installation of guardrail, signage and  line marking.With significant realignment and construction works required, it is anticipated this section of road will operate as a single-lane stretch for approximately six months, with the full extent of works expected to take around 15 months to complete.Starting early May, single-lane traffic will be operated by interim traffic signals to ensure the safety of workers on-site and motorists as they travel through the area.

Central Coast Council’s annual photographic prize, Exposure, is now open to amateur and emerging photographers.The competition, in its fifth year, is an opportunity for photographers to submit their best images for a chance to share in a total prize pool of $4,400The competition has always been popular with young people and this year, a new award has been introduced for an Emerging Young Talent (aged under 24 years).Council Group Leader, Ms Julie Vaughan, said the entries from the young photographers are growing each and every year and Council wanted to expand on this interest.“Over the years, 10 percent of our finalists were represented by photographers under the age of 24,” Ms Vaughan said.“This year we decided to give more opportunities for our young people by introducing a new award and expanding our annual workshops.“Each year we have workshops for beginner and intermediate photographers, and for the first time we held extra workshops targeted at students run by professional photographers who mentored them and help build on their photography skills.“You can already see some of the students’ work being displayed at Killarney Vale shopping centre and in the Wyong CBD.”The competition is open to all amateur and emerging photographers and entries must represent one of the following categories:Postcards of the Coast – images must be of the Central CoastThrough the Generations – open to any imageThe Natural World – open to any imageA Picture Tells 1,000 Words – open to any imagePrizes will be awarded to First, Second and Third overall winners and Emerging Young Talent as well as a Highly Commended in each category and the People’s Choice Award which will be announced at the end of the exhibition.Council Administrator, Ian Reynolds, said this year’s competition will build on the success of last year.“The competition aims to promote the art of photography and to showcase still-based works,” Mr Reynolds said.“The Coast is becoming well known for its support for the arts and I have great pleasure in encouraging people to enter this competition and boost the profile of the prize.“So give it your best shot!”Entries close at midnight Sunday 23 April and can be submitted online at wyong.nsw.gov.au/exposureA public exhibition will showcase 145 of the highest scoring images at The Art House Wyong from Saturday 10 June to Sunday 25 June.

The Easter long weekend is a popular time of the year for getting together with family and friends or taking a road trip.

The former Wyong Council entered into contracts to sell land at Warnervale to Australia China Theme Park Pty Ltd ("ACTP").Those contracts include confidentiality clauses that bind both parties and as such it is not appropriate to comment at this stage.Council has sought an urgent meeting with representatives of ACTP to discuss these contracts.Council will make further announcements when it is appropriate to do so.

Central Coast Council is teaming up with Shredability for another first in skating on the Coast.King of Street is a popular contest held across various skate parks around Australia, and is coming to Bato Yard on Saturday 22 April.This event will take competition skating to a new level as it will start at 2pm and be the first day/night competition.Event organiser and former world champion, Mr Renton Millar, said his team can’t wait to return to Bato Yard for another massive event.“We were just there in February for our elite bowl competition and couldn’t believe the amazing support we received as well as the talented riders who shredded the biggest bowl in the country,” Mr Millar said.“This competition will be just as rad, as Bato has some rare features in the street section that should attract some top riders to the Coast.“It’s also the first time we are hosting an event under lights and I have to say we are super excited about this opportunity.“A special shout out to Central Coast Council for supporting skateboarding with such an amazing facility and great events.The street section of Bato Yard has one of the largest street areas in Australia and can take multiple users as it has three separate riding lines with multiple obstacles.Some of the unique features to the street league facility include a seven stair set with hand rail, a quarter pipe with coping gap troll door – an angled manual pad, a spine and waterfall combo, a three stair set, five rails with varying height and cross sections – advanced access and use, large slider boxes in association with stair cases and obstacles, volcano feature and butterfly hip, as well as assorted ollie boxes, hubbas, ledge and wedge combos, quarter pipes, flat banks and roll ins.There will be four competing categories – Opens, Ladies, Under 16s and Under 12s – with street skating being introduced into the 2020 Olympics, this competition is bound to attract some interest from top name riders as they can use it as preparation.Council Administrator, Mr Ian Reynolds, said Bato Yard was built for local riders and to attract major competitions to the region, just like this one.“The facility is continuing to deliver on its promise to attract world class events and providing important opportunities for residents and visitors alike,” Mr Reynolds said.“It’s certainly becoming well known as one of the premier riding facilities in the region, if not the state.“We have also been working hard to make the facility fully accessible which will have the potential to attract even more events such as wheelchair motorcross (WCMX).“It’s already been tested by one of the country’s top WCMX riders and received great reviews.”There is a $5,000 prize pool for the winners as well as the chance to be named the inaugural Bato Yard King of Street.Register now to register your interest at shredability.com.auA special thank you to the sponsors who are working with Council to help make this event happen:

Central Coast Council is celebrating National Youth Week with a wide range of events next week where the next generation of leaders are being encouraged to get involved and be heard.Youth Week is organised by young people, for young people across the country from 31 March to 9 April.Council Group Leader Connected Communities, Ms Julie Vaughan, said young people across the Central Coast are being encouraged to share ideas, show off their talents, join in local events and celebrate their contribution to the community – but most of all have fun!“Too often there is a stigma associated with young people and Youth Week gives them a chance to promote a positive image and showcase themselves,” Ms Vaughan said.“We also have events that will provide support as well as live entertainment, skate comps, art competitions and much much more.”Something new to kick off the calendar for 2017 is the Comedy for a Cause Fundraiser tonight (Friday 31 March) with comedians from the Sydney and Melbourne International Comedy Festival that will have you laughing all night.

Laycock Street Community Theatre is proud to present a brand new Australian play, Diary of a Wombat, based on the multi-award winning picture book by Jackie French and Bruce Whatley.Millions of young people around the world have adored the book, and now finally this iconic work has been adapted for the stage by Monkey Baa, an award-winning theatre company.Featuring stunning puppetry, a live cello score and a brilliant set design in Monkey Baa’s signature style, Diary of a Wombat is suitable for children aged three years and over.Children will be delighted when they meet Mothball, the naughtiest wombat in Australia.Bored with her daily routine, Mothball goes in search of shelter and food, creating chaos in the lives of the humans around her.Doormats, bins and washing lines are no match for this mischievous marsupial.In between a packed schedule of scratching, sleeping and eating, Mothball discovers humans are quite easily trained with a bit of persistence!Director Eva Di Cesare and a team of revered creatives, including Puppetry and Movement Director Alice Osborne (War Horse), Designer Imogen Ross (Hitler’s Daughter) and accomplished composer Oonagh Sherrard (The Tribe) use the magic of puppetry and live music to bring this delightful story to the stage.Jackie French, author of Diary of a Wombat, said "What Monkey Baa has done is extraordinary.

It’s the crossover between the summer and winter seasons with local sport, and Council has been working hard to make sure our fields are ready for play.New drainage has been installed at four local sports fields as part of our commitment to improve the playing surface of ovals across the Coast.Chittaway Oval, Gavenlock Oval at Narara, Rogers Park at Woy Woy (fields two and three), and Baker Park at Wyong have had drainage installed to improve the quality of the field and increase usage rates.The new drainage will see water quickly disappear from the surface of the field during wet weather, and enable the field to dry out faster after rain - this means after a downpour, people can use the field for training and playing a lot sooner than what they used to.Additionally, irrigation was installed and relevelling carried out at both Rogers Park (fields two and three) and Gavenlock Oval to encourage stronger turf establishment and growth resulting in faster rehabilitation of the playing surface.We have been working with the local sporting clubs who use these fields, and appreciate their patience as we relocated them to other facilities while we carried out these improvement works.Improvements are also continuing at Baker Park, as contractors replace the roof on the grand stand.

Central Coast Council advises the water supply for residents and business in Hardys Bay, Wagstaffe and Pretty Beach will be interrupted tonight, Tuesday 28 March, between 9.00pm and midnight.The water supply will be interrupted in order for Council to complete essential repairs on a major water main in the area.Once water supply returns residents may experience some discoloured water.

Central Coast Council has reopened Correa Bay Boat ramp after confirming water quality is suitable for recreational activities.Council thanks residents for their patience.

Central Coast Council is throwing its support behind the state-wide campaign to stop littering.Hey Tosser! is all about raising awareness about the impacts of littering on the local environment, and changing the behaviour of litterers.Litter can damage the environment, harm wildlife, cause safety issues in open spaces as well as injuries to people.Council Administrator, Mr Ian Reynolds, said everyone can play their part in helping to reduce the amount of litter.“By working together, we can all help keep the Coast clean,” Mr Reynolds said.“Council is using community education to help control littering and works such as gross pollutant traps to capture litter before it enters our waterways.“We also support the Take 3 initiative which encourages everyone to clean up three pieces of litter when they visit a beach or park.“We live in such a beautiful part of the country.

On 24 March 2017 the Transport Workers Union (TWU) and the Central Coast Council participated in confidential mediation, at the request of the Minister for Local Government, the Hon Gabrielle Upton MP.The TWU and Council agreed to insert a clause in the Council's tender documents that require that to be conforming, tenders must offer ongoing employment to the employees of the current contractor, ensure all existing employee statutory leave entitlements are recognised by the tenderer, provide for an agreed minimum rate of pay for those employees, and an immediate cessation of industrial action.This provides significant protections for the local drivers of the current contractor.The Minister for Local Government is aware of and has congratulated the TWU and Council on their resolution of those matters.The TWU and Council have agreed to the terms of this media release.

Council advises water quality may have been affected at Correa Bay, Woy Woy, following the severe thunderstorm on Wednesday 22 March.A combination of large stormwater flows and a power outage at a sewage pump station has led to some effluent being discharged into Correa Bay.Council has, as a precaution, closed Correa Bay boat ramp and the adjoining foreshore area.

Central Coast Council will take over management of the Lake Haven Recreation Centre, the Toukley Aquatic Centre and the Wyong Olympic Pool from current operators YMCA NSW, effective from 1 July 2017.The decision comes following a detailed examination and a confidential report at Wednesday night’s Council Meeting.Council Administrator, Mr Ian Reynolds, said that current members could be assured that it will be business as usual for these popular facilities.“Fees and charges will remain the same at all three locations for 2017/18, apart from the standard CPI increase,” said Mr Reynolds.“These centres will now be added to our existing recreational facilities network including the Entrance Ocean Baths, Gosford Olympic Pool, the Peninsula Leisure Centre and Niagara Park Stadium.”Council will continue to offer the existing programing available at these facilities, with the exception of YMCA’s Brightside and Ability programs.YMCA NSW CEO Leisa Hart said, “It has been an honour for YMCA NSW to manage these three fantastic centres in recent years and we have loved being a part of the Central Coast community.“We look forward to continuing to work with Central Coast Council to support the region in other ways in the future, including through initiatives such as Youth Week and programs like our SkatePark League events.“To our members and the wider community, we’d like to say thank you very much for your support.”YMCA staff at each centre will be supported through this change process and will be able to apply for positions through Council.Mr Reynolds added that the decision was focused on building an efficient network of facilities to meet the needs of the Central Coast.“With the necessary resources and expertise to operate these facilities internally, it was considered that this change will promote further efficiencies across the Coast,” said Mr Reynolds.“It will allow us to invest in each of these centres and ensure our entire network of facilities is the best it can be.“We’re looking forward to improving the facilities, services and programs for the current users and the wider community.“The YMCA NSW have done fantastic job and I would like to congratulate them on the successful operation of these facilities since 2009.”For any enquiries about the centres after Friday 30 June 2017, please email Central Coast Council at leisure@centralcoast.nsw.gov.auCCLP - Direct Debit and Membership Agreement FormCCLP - Direct Debit Swim Programs and Enrolment Form  

Central Coast residents have turned out in droves to clear their homes of unwanted chemical products, thanks to two recent Household Chemical CleanOut events – hosted by Central Coast Council.CleanOut drop-off locations were set up at the Gosford Showground and the Long Jetty Council Depot, consecutively, during the first two weekends in March.In total, 2486 residents disposed of almost 100 tonnes of chemicals over the 4 days at both locations.

Central Coast Council Administrator has outlined the achievements and priorities of the new Council at the Urban Development Institute of Australia’s (UDIA) NSW’s Regional Cities Summit.UDIA NSW is the state’s leading development industry body, representing more than 500 member companies and agencies across the public and private sector.  The Summit heard from a range of speakers discussing housing affordability, the economic outlook and opportunities in the regions.Council Administrator, Ian Reynolds, said Council is now a key economic player on the Central Coast, in the State and in Australia and is uniquely placed as a region in its own right to really deliver outcomes for its community.“We want to build productive partnerships with the private sector and government to secure the future of our region, which is going to grow by more than 75,000 residents by 2036.“It is quite simple really, there needs to be more physical and social infrastructure to meet the needs of our growing population.“Transport availability and connectivity is also essential to ensure our community can get around the Coast.“We have high levels of youth unemployment on the Coast so there is an urgent need to create more jobs to ensure they have a future here.“These are just some of the issues we will continue to raise in key industry forums and directly with State and Federal Government.”“We know what we need to make our community sustainable and economically viable and it is great to know we have 331,000 residents behind us giving us the real bargaining power we need to deliver.”

A number of key development applications have been approved by Central Coast Council bringing the number determined since amalgamation, including section 96 applications, to over 3000, worth over $1 billion to the local economy.Council has approved a redesign of the Bonython Tower on Mann Street Gosford, which will create a residential tower and ground floor commercial space right in the heart of the CBD – injecting $17.6 million into the local economy.More housing options are also on the way close to the CBD with the approvals for additional residential units in Gosford, West Gosford, and Point Frederick.New housing opportunities will also be available close to one of the Coast’s greatest attractions – the beaches – with residential unit developments approved for Umina Beach, Canton Beach and more to come.The Central Coast also remains the ideal place to build the family dream home with 914 additional lots created since the merger.Council Group Leader Environment and Planning, Mr Scott Cox, said Council’s role was to ensure it had the right planning controls in place to continue to grow and encourage sustainable development on the Central Coast.“We have a huge challenge to meet the housing and employment needs of our growing community while maintaining the enviable lifestyle and environment we all enjoy here,” Mr Cox said.“We are in the process of consolidating our planning controls so there is consistency across the Coast as we want to ensure we can facilitate the right development we want to see here.“The growth in housing, particularly unit style development needs to be where transport connections and opportunities are – in our town centres and tourism hubs and we want to encourage development there.“The mix needs to be right in delivering a range of housing options to match various household needs but also ensuring the unique environment on the Coast is enhanced and protected.”Council is currently undertaking a Strategic Lands Biocertification Project in Warnervale.

A Central Vision, an exhibition showcasing talented high school artists opens at Gosford Regional Gallery on Saturday 25 March.Students from some 19 Central Coast secondary schools are taking part in the annual exhibition, which features a wide range of art forms, including paint, drawing, textiles, sculpture, ceramics and photography.Council Administrator, Mr Ian Reynolds, said the exhibition showcased some inspiring art.“A Central Vision is a great partnership between Council and Central Coast schools, and we are thrilled to exhibit so many outstanding works by many budding young artists,” Mr Reynolds said.Wendy Mortimer, Head Teacher, Creative and Performing Arts at Gosford High, said A Central Vision was a wonderful opportunity for students to have their works exhibited and acknowledged in a professional environment.“We have many very talented young artists in our secondary schools and will be presenting certificates of recognition and prizes sponsored by local business at the opening event,” Ms Mortimer said.Secondary schools taking part in A Central Vision, a program which has been running since 2001, include:Tuggerah Lakes Secondary College;

Central Coast Council will place its draft Disability Inclusion Action Plan on exhibition following this evening’s meeting.The plan outlines strategies and actions that Council will implement over a four year period, enabling people with a disability to better access services, facilities and support.Council Administrator, Mr Ian Reynolds, said the draft Disability Inclusion Action Plan would see work undertaken across the community to improve accessibility.“The plan will see Council make changes to internal process and practices;