Central Coast Lagoons plan heads for public exhibition recommendation

Residents in the Central Coast Lagoons area are being lined up for a further opportunity to comment on a draft coastal management program, after the first three stages of its development were completed.

The Coastal Estuary and Floodplain Risk Management Subcommittee recommended that Central Coast Council consider face-to-face community consultations during the proposed exhibition process for the Central Coast Lagoons Coastal Management Program.

The draft is not yet open for public comment. A separate report will be presented to the Environment and Planning Committee recommending that Council place it on public exhibition.

The subcommittee noted completion of Stages 1, 2 and 3 of the Coastal Management Program development process, along with the attached draft Central Coast Lagoons program. Its recommendation includes in-person consultation as part of the exhibition process.

No public exhibition dates, consultation locations or details of proposed works were provided. The subcommittee's recommendation does not adopt the draft program or commit funding for particular projects.

The Environment and Planning Committee is the next formal step identified for the program. The separate report will recommend public exhibition, while face-to-face consultation will be considered as part of that process.

Other coastal management items considered included the Hawkesbury-Nepean River System program and the Tuggerah Lakes Estuary Coastal Management Program. The Hawkesbury-Nepean program is due to return to the Environment and Planning Committee in October 2026 with a recommendation for adoption and referral to the NSW Minister for Environment for certification. The Tuggerah Lakes program was noted as progressing through Stages 1, 2 and 3.

For the Central Coast Lagoons program, the next step is consideration of the separate public exhibition report. No implementation timetable, project costs or exhibition arrangements have been specified.