NSW Housing and Infrastructure Bills Now Moving Through Parliament: What Central Coast Residents Need to Know

Two NSW government bills currently before the Legislative Assembly, the Environmental Planning and Assessment Amendment (Housing Delivery) Bill 2026 and the Flood Risk Management Amendment Bill 2026, are advancing through committee stage this fortnight and carry direct consequences for the roughly 360,000 people who live on the Central Coast. The housing bill, introduced in May, proposes to expand so-called low and mid-rise housing codes to allow dual occupancies, terraces and four-storey apartment buildings within 800 metres of town centres and train stations, without requiring council development approval in most cases. The flood bill proposes to overhaul how councils classify and manage land in flood-prone catchments, updating a framework last substantially revised in 2005.

The timing matters. Central Coast Council only exited formal state administration in 2021 after a financial crisis that left it carrying more than $565 million in debt, and its planning department has been operating under restricted capacity ever since. A NSW Productivity Commission review published in 2024 found the Central Coast had one of the state's slower median development assessment timeframes, sitting at 117 days for a standard residential approval. Meanwhile, the state government's own housing target framework, released under the Transport Oriented Development Program in 2023, identifies Gosford and Wyong as designated precincts expected to absorb significant new housing growth through to 2029.

What the Housing Bill Would Change Locally

Under the proposed housing amendments, land within 800 metres of Gosford, Wyong, Tuggerah and Woy Woy train stations would be reclassified to permit medium-density housing as complying development, bypassing the standard council DA process. Local planning advocates note this could substantially reduce the time and cost for small developers and owner-builders to add a secondary dwelling or build a terrace. The legislation states that councils retain the power to apply character overlays to heritage-listed streets and bushfire-prone land, which affects a number of residential pockets in suburbs such as Woy Woy and Kincumber. The government says the policy will support the construction of an additional 40,000 dwellings across the Greater Sydney and Hunter regions, including regional centres, over five years, though no Central Coast-specific allocation has been published in the bill's explanatory memorandum.

Separately, the Flood Risk Management Amendment Bill would require councils to adopt updated flood planning levels based on revised Bureau of Meteorology rainfall intensity data, which was recalibrated nationally following the 2022 flood events. For Central Coast residents, this is not abstract. The Gosford CBD and parts of Narara, Lisarow and Tuggerah sit within catchments that experienced significant inundation during the March 2021 storms, an event that caused an estimated $50 million in insured losses according to the Insurance Council of Australia's catastrophe register. The bill would compel councils to review and republish flood planning certificates within 18 months of the amended act commencing, meaning property buyers and existing owners would receive updated flood classifications on their Section 10.7 planning certificates, which are routinely checked during conveyancing.

Timeline and What Residents Should Watch

Both bills are expected to pass the Legislative Assembly by late August and move to the Legislative Council for a second reading in September, based on the current parliamentary sitting calendar. If both are assented to before December, Central Coast Council would be required to publish a compliance roadmap by mid-2027. The council's Environment and Planning directorate confirmed in its June 2026 quarterly report that it has begun a preliminary audit of town centre zoning maps in preparation for potential state-led rezoning, though no formal position on either bill has been adopted by councillors as of this week.

Residents wanting to track both bills can access the NSW Parliament's online bill tracker at parliament.nsw.gov.au, where committee submissions remain open until July 25. Central Coast Council's planning team is scheduled to hold two community information sessions in August, dates to be confirmed through the council's website. Property owners in mapped flood areas can request an updated planning certificate from the council at any time under Section 10.7 of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979, at a current fee of $53 for a standard certificate.