CENTRAL Coast Council said more than $600 million worth of development had been made in the region since the merged council was formed last May.
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The council said faster development assessment times had been a factor in the investment.
Council administrator Ian Reynolds said the latest figures were a promising sign of things to come.
"These results are particularly pleasing, given all the hard work of our development assessment teams since the merger was announced in May," Mr Reynolds said.
"Amidst the many changes taking place internally, their commitment to getting the job done and facilitating appropriate development right across the region has been second to none.
"In addition to the great results this year, there is currently over $500 million worth of development projects to go before the Joint Regional Planning Panel for their determination in [2017]."
Council's group leader of environment and planning, Scott Cox, said that while the 2016 results were positive, there was room for improvement.
"This is the beginning of a significant journey for us in development assessment, improving the way we operate and ultimately, promoting sustainable growth and investment right across the Central Coast," Mr Cox said.
“Since the merger announcement, Council has determined 1837 development applications - compared to 1600 in the 7 months prior to amalgamation across the two former councils.
"We've also seen an increase in Section 96 determinations, with 396 applications processed post-merger.
"The benefits of changes in our processes are already being realised with the median determination times down as the development teams come together.”
Council's current median determination time sits at 38 days, below the state government benchmark of 40 days.
In Lake Macquarie, the council’s median approval time for development applications is 20 days.
