MAKING the most of life after the Coffs Harbour Bypass is the focus of a new co-ordination program designed to help the city navigate one of the most significant periods of change in its history.
With the Coffs Harbour Bypass due to open later this year and major developments planned for the city centre, City of Coffs Harbour will introduce a two-year Revitalisation Coordination Program during 2026-27.
The initiative aims to bring together the many projects, plans and opportunities shaping the city’s future while ensuring businesses, residents and visitors benefit from the transformation.
Mayor Nikki Williams said the city was entering a new era.
“There are a lot of balls in the air,” Cr Williams said..
“We have the bypass due to open late this year and we have a renewal action plan to guide how we want our city to look in that new era.
“The existing highway will become a local road and that presents an opportunity to stitch the east and west of Coffs back together.”
The program will be led by a dedicated co-ordinator and supported by a public dashboard that will allow Council and the community to track progress.
City Economic Development and Tourism Section Leader Nicole McLennan said the initiative would help local businesses prepare for changing traffic patterns once the bypass opened.
“Through a business lens, the program is focused on bypass readiness actions already under way – helping local businesses to stay visible, to build capability, and to adapt as travel patterns change,” Ms McLennan said.
Council has allocated $200,000 in its draft 2026-27 Operational Budget to support actions identified in the Post Bypass Renewal Action Plan.
The program will focus on co-ordination, community communication, business engagement, funding opportunities and progress reporting.
City Planning and Communities Director Ian Fitzgibbon said the initiative would have benefits beyond the city centre.
“While the immediate focus is bypass readiness and improving amenity in the city centre and along what will become the old highway, the co-ordination program will have a far broader brief,” Mr Fitzgibbon said.
Once established, the model could be used to support revitalisation projects in areas such as the Jetty Strip and Park Beach.
By Sis HIGGINS
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