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The Gosford Challenge - a major urban redesign for the Central Coast
3 November 2008
The NSW Government recognises Gosford as an important urban centre in NSW and fully supports the Gosford Challenge to revitalise the city centre and the waterfront.
The Gosford Challenge dramatically charts the way forward for Gosford, recognising the important contribution Gosford city centre and surrounding lands make to the social fabric and economic health of the Central Coast region. It will provide the community with a waterfront that offers a range of recreational activities and importantly, a waterfront of which we can all be proud.
By joining as partners in this important project, and bringing together separately owned parcels of land, the NSW Government, through the Department of Lands (Lands), and Gosford City Council (Council) will combine resources, expertise and skills to deliver a project to revitalise the heart of Gosford.
Lands and Council recently entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), committing both parties to making the revitalisation of Gosford City Centre a reality.
The Masterplan for the City Centre will encompass the waterfront to north of the railway station and from Rumbalara Reserve to West Gosford.
Lands will act as the conduit for other State Government agencies to ensure any redevelopment is managed holistically, realising the potential of the precinct in contributing to the future of the city and the region.
Lands will work with Council and other State Government agencies to encourage investment and spending on public domain improvements in Gosford City as part of the opportunities identified in the Gosford Challenge master planning process. This will help drive and fuel jobs, economic growth of the city centre with better public infrastructure and social outcomes. This will be done in an open and consultative manner, fully engaging with the community.
The revitalisation will complement the overall planning framework for the city, takes into account the needs of harbour users and the broader community and helps secure for the Central Coast a vibrant city and a sustainable future.
Lands and Council have issued a Request for Proposals as the next step in the Gosford Challenge. For more information see and the following Q and A or go to The Gosford Challenge website www.thegosfordchallenge.com.au
Q&A
Q1: What is The Gosford Challenge?
A: A program designed to deliver a new Gosford under the leadership of the Department of Lands and Gosford City Council.
It will involve the active participation of the community, the vision and skills of pre-eminent architects and urban designers, and the resources and commitment of proven developers - all working within the discipline of a formal master planning process.
Unlike some planning studies that have come before, this program is designed to lead to the construction of specific projects, emerging from the master planning process.
The Masterplan for the City Centre will encompass the waterfront to north of the railway station and from Rumbalara Reserve to West Gosford.
Q2: What is a Masterplan?
A: A Masterplan takes an holistic approach by applying the effort and expertise of many different professionals working in close concert with the community to produce (in this case) a whole-of-Gosford design so that the right buildings, for the right purposes, are located and constructed in the right places.
Master planning also addresses, on a whole-of-city basis, the many smaller opportunities that good urban design creates; the spaces between buildings and near buildings, the linkages, laneways, connections and open spaces.
For more on master planning go to The Gosford Challenge website www.thegosfordchallenge.com.au.
Q3: Why does Gosford need another plan?
A: This will be the first Masterplan for Gosford and the first plan to identify specific projects, taking into consideration the needs of the community as a whole. The Gosford Challenge follows excellent work by Council in identifying community goals (Visions 2025) and in exploring conceptual possibilities.
Q4: What are the timeframes and when will we see something happen?
A: In broad terms the program is expected take around a year until the announcement of the first construction projects. It may take a little less, or a little longer but, ultimately, it will take the time needed to deliver the best possible outcome for Gosford and the region. For more detailed timelines see thegosfordchallenge.com.au
Q5: What oversight will there to be to ensure the best results for the community?
A: The Gosford Challenge is a managed process that sees designers, developers, landowners (including, where they wish to be involved, private landowners) and the community all working in a collaborative way to produce best-for-Gosford outcomes. It is also a fully transparent process conducted under formal probity guidelines and the oversight of independent probity auditor, Mr Andrew Marsden of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu.
Q6: What opportunity will there be for the community to have a say?
A: There will be ample opportunity for community input, including a consultation process where the community is able to meet developers and designers face-to-face to exchange ideas.
The project will proceed under Council and state government planning procedures with proposed developments placed on public display for community comment.
Q7: Will Crown land be sold off under this process?
A: Lands’ preferred model for private sector developments is through lease, not sale. There are no proposals to sell Crown land through The Gosford Challenge.
Q8: Is there a risk of overdevelopment?
A: The Masterplan will ensure a balance between development and public space. It will ensure that limits to building heights, for example, are appropriate for the location.
Q9: Will it create more parking and congestion issues?
A: One of the challenges of the master planning process is to find answers to parking and congestion issues. Traffic and parking experts will be involved in the project, and will help solve existing problems and test the practicality of new ideas.
Q10: How much is this going to cost?
A: The selection process will challenge the market to come up with innovative solutions to deliver the Masterplan in the most cost-effective manner.
Q 11: What is the next step?
A: Lands and Council have issued a Request for Proposals to urban planners, architects, developers, business and other parties to respond to the challenge by 29 January 2009. It is anticipated developers will be short-listed by mid-2009, followed by the planning phase.
For further information, visit the project website www.thegosfordchallenge.com.au
