Somersby rezoning caught in Central Coast quorum dispute

A rezoning request for the former Old Sydney Town site at 945 Old Pacific Highway and 66 Myoora Road, Somersby, remains tied to an unresolved dispute over whether a council committee had a valid quorum.

Central Coast councillors voted 8-7 against an amendment declaring the 4 August Environment and Planning Committee meeting invalid and its recommendations null and void. A procedural motion then put the matter on the table, also by an 8-7 vote.

The committee’s terms of reference require four councillor members, excluding the Mayor, for a quorum. Cr Jane Smith’s amendment said only three voting members were present: Cr Doug Eaton OAM, Cr John McNamara and Cr Rachel Stanton.

Cr Smith was supported by Cr Kyle MacGregor, Cr Margot Castles, Cr Helen Crowley, Cr Sharon Walsh, Cr Belinda Neal and Cr Corinne Lamont. Mayor Lawrie McKinna, Deputy Mayor John Mouland, Cr Kyla Daniels, Cr Eaton, Cr Stanton, Cr Jared Wright, Cr McNamara and Cr Trent McWaide voted against the amendment.

The competing motion said the meeting had followed the committee’s terms of reference and the Code of Meeting Practice, and that a valid quorum was present based on legal advice received by Central Coast Council.

Cr Neal declared a significant non-pecuniary interest in the Somersby rezoning item because a friend and colleague was engaged by the proponent. She left the meeting and did not take part in discussion or voting on the matter.

The council therefore did not declare the 4 August meeting invalid, but it also did not complete its consideration of the committee’s minutes and recommendations. The Somersby planning request was deferred to the 27 October 2026 Ordinary Council meeting.

The dispute also affects the status of other business considered by the Environment and Planning Committee on 4 August. Its outcome remains unresolved after the matter was laid on the table.