Footpath gaps near Woy Woy South school remain without designs or delivery date

Missing footpath links beside Woy Woy South Public School remain on Central Coast Council’s future project list after councillors rejected a proposed December 2026 grant application for safety works and approved no construction program.

The gaps along Balaclava Avenue and Waterloo Avenue are identified in the council’s Walking, Wheeling and Cycling Strategy and its prioritisation framework for future active transport infrastructure.

Detailed investigations have not been completed. Further work must cover concept design, cost estimates and constraints involving drainage, environmental impacts, traffic and land ownership before the links can proceed through council’s planning and prioritisation processes.

Cr Belinda Neal and Cr Jane Smith proposed adding a recommendation for a NSW Get Active Kids grant application in December 2026 for safety works around South Woy Woy Public School. That amendment was defeated, with Neal and Smith voting for it and Deputy Mayor Rachel Stanton, Cr Doug Eaton OAM, Cr Jared Wright and Mayor John McNamara voting against.

The original motion then passed, with Smith the only vote against. It noted the footpath links and their place in the council’s prioritisation framework, but did not approve construction, funding or a delivery date.

Separate applications have been submitted to the Australian Government’s Active Transport Fund Tranche 2 for other projects. They include Avoca Drive Shared Path Stage 2 between Hillside Road and The Round Drive at Avoca Beach, an active transport project on Anne Findlay Place in Bateau Bay between Bias Avenue and the EDSACC Sporting Precinct, and a Central Coast Highway shared path and footpath project.

No return date or construction timetable was specified for the Balaclava Avenue and Waterloo Avenue links. The next Infrastructure and Assets Committee meeting is scheduled for 9 February 2027.