Gosford CBD revitalisation gains momentum as commercial investment follows residential growth

Gosford's CBD has been the subject of revitalisation discussion for many years, with the city centre's commercial vitality having been affected by the same forces of retail decentralisation and suburban shopping centre dominance that have challenged CBDs across regional NSW. Recent years have seen genuine progress toward revitalisation, driven by a combination of population growth that has increased the consumer base, council investment in public realm improvements, and residential development within and around the CBD that is bringing a live-in population to the city centre.

Residential apartment development in the Gosford CBD has been a primary catalyst, with the live-in population that new apartment buildings bring creating the foot traffic and activation that makes CBD retail and hospitality more viable than it is when the commercial centre is surrounded only by commuter car parks and low-density housing. Council's planning settings have encouraged this residential densification and the associated mixed-use development that integrates retail, hospitality and services into the base of residential towers.

The waterfront precinct at Gosford, overlooking Brisbane Water, provides a natural activation opportunity that the city's revitalisation efforts have been working to leverage more effectively. A functioning waterfront with quality food and beverage and public space amenity would give Gosford a competitive advantage over other Central Coast centres and would draw visitors from the broader region who come specifically for the waterfront experience.

Professional services businesses including legal, accounting and financial planning firms have maintained a presence in the Gosford CBD, serving both the regional business community and the growing population of Central Coast residents who require professional services locally rather than travelling to Sydney. This professional services cluster has provided a stable anchor for the CBD's commercial activity through the years when retail has been more volatile.

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