Public Land Disposal

At the meeting on Monday, 18 March 2024, the Council will consider the commencement of the statutory process to dispose of some parcels of vacant land owned by the community.

As community needs are dynamic and can change over time, our council must always be vigilant in ensuring it is getting the best value from our money — it is the community’s money, after all. As such, we need to approach managing community-owned assets with extra care and consideration by ensuring money is well spent and meets the community’s needs.

As part of our asset management activities, Central Coast Council is reviewing its vacant land portfolio.  Stage 1 of the review has identified six parcels that aren’t considered to provide community benefit to justify continued Council ownership.

Our team has assessed each parcel of vacant land, considering its location, strategic importance, maintenance costs, natural and cultural values, planning requirements and impacts on demand for open space.

Open space is considered to be well distributed throughout the municipal area, with most areas within 400m of where people live. However, some areas could be better serviced.  Any proceeds from the disposal of these parcels of land will help us achieve consistency across the municipal area and be applied to improve other open spaces, such as renewing and upgrading playground equipment.

We recognise the importance of the community’s views, and should the recommendation be accepted, the community will be invited to encouraged to provide feedback, which will be considered before making a decision. The community’s views are an essential part of the decision-making process, and we are committed to ensuring that the community’s needs are met.

Stage 1 of Council’s vacant land review has identified the following parcels as not required for future local open spaces:

There are maintenance costs involved in holding onto assets such as land. Therefore, it is important we consider the entire community when making these decisions and ensure we prioritise the allocation of resources evenly. 

The statutory land disposal process is the first step of several before the land can be disposed of. The outcome of the public land disposal process will inform the Council’s decision of whether to dispose of the land or not.

It is difficult to know the true value of the land to the surrounding community without a consultation process. Council recognises the importance of the community’s views and encourages residents to provide feedback on this proposal. The Council will carefully consider all feedback before making a decision. Details on how to make a submission will be advertised.

If you have any questions or would like to provide feedback, please contact Samantha Searle on [email protected] or email [email protected].

We will endeavour to keep the community informed throughout the process.