planning · Central Coast Council
Tuggerah Lakes flood study clears committee after public exhibition
Minor changes will be noted before Central Coast Council considers adopting the review, which informs flood planning and development assessment across the catchment.
Central Coast Council’s Environment and Planning Committee has recommended adoption of the Tuggerah Lakes Flood Study Review after minor changes were made following public exhibition.
The review informs flood planning, development assessment and risk management across the Tuggerah Lakes catchment, including around Tuggerah Lake. Its recommendation was resolved without debate as part of a group of planning matters.
The committee also supported a second public exhibition of the draft Flood Policy. Changes to the draft policy were made after its first exhibition, and the policy will return to the public before Council considers adoption.
Residents and affected landowners will have another opportunity to review and comment on the proposed flood-policy changes. No date was specified for the second exhibition or for Council’s consideration of the policy.
A separate recommendation concerns how Tuggerah Lake is opened. The Coastal, Estuary and Floodplain Risk Management Subcommittee recommended that mechanical intervention in the pilot channel occur when the lake reaches an actual level of 0.8 metres Australian Height Datum, or AHD.
The committee noted and adopted the subcommittee’s recommendations, including the proposed 12-month trial. The extract does not clearly state whether Council has adopted the lake-opening procedure itself.
The committee’s flood decisions were made alongside a planning proposal for the former Old Sydney Town site at 945 Old Pacific Highway and 66 Myoora Road, Somersby. The committee recommended that Council request a gateway determination from the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure, but the proposal has not received final rezoning approval.
The Somersby proposal includes increasing conservation-zoned land from 6 to 35 hectares, retaining and refurbishing heritage buildings, supporting expansion of the Australian Reptile Park and creating a tourism precinct.
The next ordinary Environment and Planning Committee meeting is scheduled for 1 September 2026.
Reference minutes
This report is based on Central Coast Council’s Environment & Planning Committee meeting of 4 August 2026.
Key facts from the minutes
- The Environment and Planning Committee recommended adoption of the Tuggerah Lakes Flood Study Review.
- The recommendation records minor changes made after public exhibition.
- The study covers the Tuggerah Lakes catchment and informs flood planning, development assessment and risk management.
- The draft Flood Policy is to be publicly exhibited for a second time before Council considers adoption.
- A 12-month Tuggerah Lake pilot was recommended with mechanical intervention triggered at 0.8 metres AHD.
- The next ordinary Environment and Planning Committee meeting is scheduled for 1 September 2026.
Why it matters
- The Tuggerah Lakes Flood Study Review will inform how flood risk, future development and risk-management decisions are considered around Tuggerah Lake and across its catchment.