Central Coast approves 4,200 new homes in three new residential precincts

Central Coast Council has approved three new residential precincts covering a combined 4,200 new homes, in the most significant land release for the region in more than a decade. The approvals respond to a housing undersupply crisis that has pushed median rents to record levels and displaced long-term residents unable to afford the market.

The precincts at Warnervale, Hamlyn Terrace, and Wyong will be developed in partnership with the NSW government's Housing Supply Initiative and two private developers. A requirement for 15 per cent affordable housing within each precinct was negotiated as a condition of the accelerated planning pathway, delivering an estimated 630 affordable dwellings alongside market-rate product.

NSW Planning Minister Paul Scully said the Central Coast approvals were part of a state-wide effort to fast-track housing supply in regional centres where price pressures had been exacerbated by sea-change migration during and after the pandemic. "The Central Coast has absorbed enormous population growth without the infrastructure and housing to support it. We are accelerating that catch-up," he said.

The council's infrastructure contribution schedule requires developers to fund road upgrades on the Pacific Highway and Sparks Road corridors, new primary schools sites, and extensions to the water and sewer network. Development contributions are estimated at $82,000 per lot, one of the highest in the region, reflecting the infrastructure gap in the northern growth corridor.

Staged construction is projected to begin within 12 months, with the first homes completed by late 2026.

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