By Kevin Brooks, a former elected Council Leader from the UK. He is a retiree having worked in senior positions in the public and private sectors, including global banks   The fourth quarter of 2020/21 was a momentous time for Central Coast Council. It was the quarter in which Administrator Rik Hart and CEO David Farmer commenced their new roles at the top of the organisation. It was also the quarter in which the first of three rate hike applications was approved. Revenue from rate...

Scentre Group’s plan to develop 70ha of land with a subdivision that would see up to 2,200 homes built between the M1 and Westfield Tuggerah is now open for public comment from April 17 and ends on May 31. The site to be developed is the former Wyong Abattoirs site and is part of a broader plan for Tuggerah Town Centre to evolve as the gateway to the northern Central Coast and to grow the district as a key location for economic development and residential growth. It comes as the State...

Allied health professional buys East Gosford commercial cottage A speech pathology business has purchased a free standing commercially zoned cottage at 6 Wells Street, East Gosford. The property had been held by the previous owner for over 24 years. It comprises 144sqm cottage on a 538sqm lot close within the East Gosford retail precinct. Price paid was $850,000 (GST not applicable). Brad Rogers and Michael Hanson from Ray White Commercial Central Coast negotiated the sale. OOO GOSFORD...

When Melissa and Gary Marshall acquired the Signarama Tuggerah business in 2019 they made a commitment to move to sustainable signage systems with eco-friendly practices in their printing processes and using environmentally friendly materials for signage. Their aim was to create signage that minimises its impact on the environment. This initiative and the decision to buy the most up to date technology in the industry has played a pivotal role in boosting their revenue by 25%. They have gain...

Six months to go for new council – but will it be out of the fat into the fire   In case you haven’t noticed our Central Coast Council is setting us up for some pretty big rate hikes in the years to come with forecast deficits from 2026-27 (see Page 15). This month we are fortunate to have a highly credentialled former UK local government councillor and former senior banking executive and Central Coast resident, Kevin Brooks, write an analysis of how he sees this Council p...