Duplicate Image Chaos in Council's Digital Asset Library: What Happens Next and the Key Decisions Ahead

Central Coast Council is facing a decision point over its digital asset management systems after an internal audit identified widespread duplication across the image libraries used for everything from planning portal submissions to the public-facing tourism and Gosford CBD renewal microsites. The problem is not cosmetic. Duplicate files slow system performance, inflate storage costs, and — critically — create version-control failures where outdated aerial photographs or incorrect site renders can end up attached to live development applications.

The timing matters. Council only emerged from state-appointed administration in May 2022, and its technology infrastructure was among the systems left underfunded during that period. The organisation has since committed to a multi-year digital transformation program, but that program now needs to account for legacy data problems that pre-date the new governance structures. Getting the image library right is not a glamorous task, but it sits underneath almost every public-facing digital function the Council now operates.

What the Duplication Problem Actually Looks Like on the Ground

The issue is tangible at the local level. The Gosford CBD Activation Strategy, which covers the precinct running from Mann Street through to the Gosford Waterfront, relies on a shared image bank of site photographs, architectural renders, and heritage documentation. When duplicate versions of those files exist — sometimes dozens of iterations of a single render saved under slightly different file names — planning staff can pull the wrong version into a public document. The same problem affects the Wyong Town Centre revitalisation project, where community engagement materials have occasionally displayed superseded design concepts.

Council's digital services team, operating under the broader IT modernisation framework adopted in late 2024, is now assessing three main options: a manual audit and cull, procurement of a dedicated digital asset management (DAM) platform, or a hybrid approach that uses automated de-duplication software before any human review begins. Each option carries a different price tag and a different timeline. Enterprise DAM platforms used by comparable local government bodies in NSW typically cost between $80,000 and $250,000 for initial implementation, with ongoing licensing running to tens of thousands annually — figures that will need to weigh against Council's constrained post-administration budget environment.

The Decisions That Will Shape the Outcome

Three choices will define what happens next. First, Council needs to decide whether the image duplication problem is an IT issue or a governance issue — because the answer determines who owns the fix. If it is treated purely as a storage and software problem, the solution will likely be a procurement process run through the digital services directorate. If it is classified as a records management and transparency issue, it draws in the Integrated Planning and Reporting obligations that all NSW councils operate under, potentially requiring a formal resolution at the councillor level.

Second, any new DAM system must integrate cleanly with the NSW Planning Portal, which processes development applications for the entire Central Coast local government area — a region that stretches from Patonga in the south to Lake Munmorah in the north and covers more than 1,680 square kilometres. A platform that does not talk to the state portal creates a parallel workflow problem that staff will route around, defeating the purpose.

Third, Council must set a public metadata standard before any de-duplication work begins. Without agreed naming conventions and tagging rules, the same duplication problem will regenerate within 18 months of any cleanup.

The practical next step for residents and community groups who engage with Council's digital planning tools — particularly those tracking projects along the Gosford waterfront or around Tuggerah Business Park — is to request that any image or document attached to a submission carry a date stamp and a version number. That simple ask, made through public consultation windows or directly via Council's customer service centre on Hely Street in Wyong, puts legitimate pressure on staff to verify the currency of materials before they go public. The digital mess is fixable. The question is whether Council treats it as urgent or lets it compound through another budget cycle.