Hunter Indoor Sports Centre (HISC)

Please see attached documents for my objection.
Mario D'Amico

This project, in my opinion, was poorly considered in the original planning stages through the relevant bodies. I have a unique insight into the usage of the fields, being the former Administrator for the Newcastle Junior Cricket Association, as well as working within two other sporting bodies.
The flow on effect of moving the current tenants of the fields to outer areas, produces a further flow on effect, which places teams up to 25-30 minutes away from their current playing and training facility. The suggestion from some bodies that these particular fields are underutilised is intentionally misleading or uneducated.

One issue, which is of significant frustration to me with the proposal in the stages that it is, is the current amenity block at the location. I have lobbied Newcastle Council for 10 years to have updated facilities at a nearby field, with no success. The Wallarah amenity block is relatively new, is satisfactory for usage within the women's sporting space, and has both significant shade and storage areas.
It would be a complete slap in the face to all users of local grounds, almost all of whom have completely inappropriate facilities, to have this one torn down.

I live within about 1 km as the crow flies from the grounds, so will let the residents closer to the venue comment on the traffic scenario, as well as the chronic flooding issues which already burden the grounds themselves and the surrounding areas.

My daughter, who is currently in Year 11 at the adjoining Lambton High summed the proposal up herself when I initially told her about it. Her response, "Why do so many people who are supposed to be smart make so many stupid decisions".
The school is a significant user of the facility during regular school hours, and I am aware that The Public School Sporting system uses Wallarah on regular occasions for official school cricket competitions.

In short this is a unique facility, which caters to various demographics, sporting and leisure, on a 7 day a week, 52 weeks a year basis. The suggestion, as I raised earlier, that it is underutilised, in completely lacking in any factual basis.

I speak now from a purely personal basis in that the memories I hold as both a player and parent on that facility are significant, and I am certain many people in the community have their own nostalgic recollections. Whilst I concede this is not an issue genuinely up for debate in the argument I raise it merely as an addendum.

I am sincerely hoping an alternative is found for the stadium, which I have heard no one disputing is needed. Unfortunately, I am firmly of the belief that the original decision to place the Stadium at this location was in some facets politically motivated rather than based on logic and community consultation. I have faith that the current decision makers will re-consider and look to utilise a more appropriate venue, of which numerous have been identified in both this, and the surrounding LGAs.

I don’t agree with how the council went about it, but I think it’s a great location and will make a complete sporting precinct

The project would benefit kids health and improve fitness rates

The people of the Hunter, as well as basketballers across all of NSW desperately need this new stadium. Basketball is a rapidly growing sport in Newcastle, possibly the biggest in the region. The current stadium has a not too distant used by date, and options for the new stadium are running out. This is the last chance, and makes perfect sense to add to the already state-of-the-art sporting precinct that exists at Broadmeadow. I urge the local and state governments to support this essential project.

Lambton High School was built where it is now with the understanding that it could use these grounds for PE and recesses. Taking the fields away from them would be a major broken promise. These grounds are also their emergency evacuation assembly point. There is a projected increase in population of around 50,000 people in the area which will increase the schools enrolment numbers. Further increasing the importance of these fields to the school. Asking teachers to manage students along streets and across roads to other fields is not an option. There are safety issues associated with this and therefore teachers should not have to be subjected to this stress.
With the increase in population in the area there will also be an increase in registrations for soccer and cricket. These grounds are currently well utilised by these sports who are already struggling to provide grounds for the current participation numbers.
Traffic in the area is already busy during normal times and very busy during peak hours. Whenever there is an event at the football stadium the traffic is chaos with road closures needing to be enforced. Parking in the area is prohibitive with every possibly car park space on the surrounding streets in a large radius taken. Residents are severely impacted during these events. The proposed basketball stadium will add an estimated 22,000 visitors to the area every week. Access to the stadium from the north will be via backstreets from early morning until late at night. There will be a huge increase in traffic on residential streets with no relief for local residents.
The NSW Government actually has a paper outlining the value of inner city green space to the physical and mental health of the community. Developing these ovals contradicts this report on all levels.
These fields are also part of a flood plain. Many residents are flooded during heavy rains and it is feared that building over these grounds will create greater flood risks.
The documents released by Newcastle Basketball are often different. The design shown on many documents and the statistics produced are often different. Newcastle Basketball does not have the funds to build what they are proposing. Additional funding applications have been rejected. Community consultation has been negligible and what Newcastle Basketball state has been undertaken is a lie. This space is too small for Newcastle Basketball should expansion be required in the future.
A new stadium for basketball is a great idea but this is quite simply the wrong location.

I am writing to submit my OBJECTION to SSD-65595459 Hunter Indoor Sports Complex (HISC), for the reasons attached with this submission.

I object to the project at that location.

I do not agree with the location of the Hunter indoor sports centre. It is very densely populated area and will impact many residents. There will be no parking and so much noise pollution. It will take away from the green space of the area and make it into a concrete jungle. The Hunter Stadium is already making the area very busy and to have this centre in the location as well will be intolerable. Lambton high school students will have no green space and many community's and individuals use the area. Please can you find another area for this Sports centre.

The proposed location of this Centre makes no logical sense at all.
Multiple stakeholders; residents, the High School, and local soccer and cricket associations have made reasonable and valid objections to this proposal.
As a High School Geography Teacher and parent of children at Lambton High School, I would cite this whole saga as an example of ill-informed planning and an acute lack of community consultation. It's not at all sustainable; rather, a vanity project which holds little regard for the social, economic and environmental impacts of this development.
As many others have said; yes, a new stadium is needed. However, not in this location. You have the resources. Do better. Do your job.

I object to this project as cricket and soccer will be loosing their grounds to another sport. High school will loose their green space. And the area is already over loaded with parking and traffic issues. And flooding in times of inclement weather. Knights , hockey supporters fill the local streets as they don't have enough parking. Residents are impacted by cars parking across driveways , parking to close to corners etc etc Also we need to keep our green spaces for our children to play in on weekends when not used by sporting clubs.

My main concern is incorrect details which are being thrown around. First the size of land package ie individual reports saying 7.83 hectares where I believe is more likely around 3 hectares . The original costing has now blown out from $25 million to approximately $90 million and we all know projects like this never come in on the estimated cost. Parking and traffic is a major concern as only being able to turn left to enter and leave the stadium will cause Turton Rd to become gridlocked at certain times ie 4 to 6 pm nightly when most kids would be playing basketball. The streets around the stadium will not be able to cope with the extra traffic as some are quite narrow with cars parked outside houses. The loss of green space concerns me as there are always someone either walking dogs, kids playing soccer or cricket on the space and definitely Lambton High students (1200) will be greatly disadvantaged. Green space should be preserved at all costs for kids to use instead of being inside houses playing devices which we all know are bad for them. Recently the project has had a name change to High-Performance Indoor Sports Centre which appears strange does this mean more people, more traffic, less parking available. Please find a more suitable area for the Basketball Stadium,

I am extremely concerned about the impact the location of the proposed stadium would have on residents and Lambton High school. In June 2020 my house flooded. This was an extremely traumatic experience, I lost most of my belongings, my car was written off and I had to move out for six months while my home was rebuilt.

I’m also concerned about the increase in traffic and lack of parking.

Lastly, the students at Lambton high would lose significant outdoor play space and local soccer and other sporting teams would lose training fields.

There must be a better alternative to meet both the needs of local basketball players and the local residents.

I understand the need for a new basketball centre. My son is currently engaged in the Future Falcons programme and I fully support the building of new and improved facilities. However I strongly object to the sacrificing of green space for this project. Parks, ovals and green spaces are every bit as important as built sporting infrastructure and once sacrificed, they are gone forever. The parks and ovals around New Lambton and Lambton are a big part of what makes this are special and chipping away at this devalues these suburbs and the city. My objection is no specific to this location. The same principle applies wherever we have green space in our city. Green space should not be sacrificed for this project. More creative thinking is required to utilise vacant/unused 'built' areas.

I’m writing regarding my objection to the proposed Hunter Indoor Sports Centre on Wallarah Blackley ovals. I live one block away from the proposed stadium, approx. 230m away and did not get consulted about this at all. I only learnt about this proposal by talking to my neighbours and what I read on social media. This is extremely inadequate. Our concerns include loss of green and open space in our local community as well as the impact of extra traffic in our streets and the impact it could have on localised flooding.

Loss of Green space for sporting codes: The ovals are the entry to the green corridor through New Lambton / and Lambton suburbs and have served the sporting community of both local and out of area teams in a number of disciplines over the years - from rugby league, hockey, preparation field for the NRL OPPOSITION teams to more recently the ever-increasing number of Soccer and cricket players. The fields are being used by local community sporting groups both day and night. It would be a great loss to the community and future grass roots sporting stars of the region to lose such a valuable piece of land that in essence is very low maintenance compared to benefits it provides in way of fitness, social interaction, mental health and wellbeing.

Loss of green space for Lambton high school: The land is also used by our local high school which backs onto the ovals and provides the students with space to engage in outdoor sports, relax in an open space or use as an evacuation point. I have seen teachers take lessons on the fields and talk about the wildlife that uses the fields and how the fields are close to our city’s water ways. There is also evidence of the detrimental effects the lack of natural environments is having on children and their development regarding both physical and emotional wellbeing. As children are not being exposed to things such as grass as much now, there are higher rates of allergies, sensory issues and mental health issues such as a lack of self-regulation and resilience. I am a strong advocate for promoting children's rights and feel the loss of such a valuable green space near the High School and local primary schools will have a negative impact on the lives of our future generations. Many say there are plenty of fields around, they can use a different one down the road. I do not agree with removing any green space as our population is increasing, not decreasing so the fields are needed now and into the future.

Flooding and heat: As a flood prone area, I fear the increased run off from such a large structure and concreted area will impact local homes and property. Such a risk will surely increase house insurance to a figure which I have to say in the current cost of living crisis will be out of reach. Prices have already increased 400% in my personal experience of living in the area for 14years. The fields not only help soak up excess water in recent weather events, but they also provide a cool place to relax in the hotter months. The addition of the sports centre with its surrounding outdoor courts and parking will surely increase the temperature in the area as there will be more hard surfaces for the sun to reflect on rather than the heat being absorbed by the grass.

Traffic and parking concerns: Increased traffic and parking in small surrounding streets of the oval is also a major concern. NRL game days already crowd streets for hours on weekends and cars are constantly illegally parking on comers and nature strips as people try to avoid a long walk to the ground. This increases when there is hockey games scheduled at the same time as NRL matches as the hockey players are often encouraged to park elsewhere as their parking is often reduced to make space for parking at the stadium. I fear this will be the case in the event if another stadium is built in the area that operates 7 days a week up to 10pm. I’m also concerned these time schedules will cause noise and light pollution to the surrounding streets, affecting residents’ sleep patterns and mental wellbeing. As the lights will pick up on movement and there are 2 outdoor courts and an outdoor gym in the plans, I am worried that these facilities will be used after hours when the stadium is locked up and the movement of those using them will see the lights coming on and off at all hours. This has not been assessed in any of the reports.

I trust the decision makers will see the logic and evidence this is not the right location for the much-needed basketball centre and can find a more appropriate piece of land which can accommodate for the future growth of the population just as the green space of Wallarah and Blackley ovals can keep providing an open green space area to serve the ever-increasing inner city outdoor sports community.

I would like to oppose The proposal of new basketball courts, Hunter Indoor Sports Centre, being built on the Blackley Oval site in Lambton.
The area is presently used by a lot of sports teams and clubs, especially on the weekends, and almost all year round.
The parking in the area to allow for all the extra cars needed for 12 basketball courts is not adequate in a residential area.
There is a cycle way that is on the edge of the ovals, would that be relocated to accommodate cyclists, and with so much traffic for all the courts, will be appropriate for a cycleway?
The ovals presently, when it rains are not well drained and become very wet, how will the site take into account the amount of water that flows down the drainage canal on the edge of the ovals?
My main objection is the lack of parking in the area for such a large development and taking away an already much used facilities for sports clubs in the area.. ( Which ovals would all those teams use? )
I also do not understand that there would not be another site, maybe the horse trotting site across the road, where parking could be provided and the horse track could surely be relocated a little out of the suburban area, which could utilise the stadium area to develop into a dedicated sports precinct.

I write this submission from the perspective of a resident of Newcastle for over three decades. My concern about the negative impact if this DA is approved is informed by clinical experience and post-grad studies in child and family health and mental health. The social impact assessment which accompanies this DA is biased, flawed and inadequate. My objection to the DA is based on ethical considerations and principles of social justice.
The DA is peppered with the philosophy that must be examined by the decision-makers assessing this application. The focus and consideration of BANL is solely on “its community” and what best meets “the immediate and long-term needs of BANL.” The other nebulous benefits of the proposal which BANL cites are insufficient in the merit they potentially provide to compensate for the loss that will be incurred if this development is approved. BANL has applied a cut-throat approach to serving its own interests (“to upgrade its existing facilities”) at the expense of the interests of a far greater number of individuals and groups who are park users and comprise the actual Newcastle community.
The DA touts alignment with The Greater Newcastle Metropolitan Plan 2036 and the Hunter Regional Plan2041 as justification for approval, but fails to provide an adequate social impact assessment which gives due consideration to the negative impacts. It does not provide the requisite identification and analysis of the potential social impacts of the development, from the points of view of the affected community/ies. It offers scant attention to, and assumes no responsibility for, mitigating the harm that will be caused by the development. It is disingenuous and insulting to suggest that the “proposal positively benefits its neighbours” – by “managing” acoustic and vibration impacts. It suggests that an indoor facility designed for “athlete development and high performance opportunities” will somehow achieve increased physical activity amongst overweight and obese children in the region, when in fact it is more likely that the reduction in open spaces would have the opposite result.
The Environmental Risk Assessment and Mitigation Measures in Appendix C acknowledges “loss of open space” as a negative social impact but incredulously attempts to represent this as affecting only the “existing sporting groups” who will be relocated, and characterises the residual impact as “low.” BANL has proffered this erroneous conclusion because of its failure to listen to and address the anguish expressed by those neighbours and other park users most directly affected. Open space in cities is a prized and finite resource that serves many purposes beyond the narrow use implied in BANL’s inadequate calculus of risk and mitigation.
In relation to the displaced sporting groups, BANL defers responsibility for finding alternative grounds to the Newcastle Council, unconcerned by the fact that this may not be a suitable solution for local families, as well as the domino effect it will have on more distant communities forced to share their limited facilities. BANL is content for humble local junior sporting clubs currently using the proposed site to be sacrificed in order to achieve “the highest standard of recreational facilities” for its own. The optics of this situation reflect disturbing inequity that should not be a feature of contemporary developments on existing land that has traditionally been freely available and accessible to a wide and diverse community.
The BANL project received an EXTRAORDINARY level of support from, and promotion by, Newcastle Council earlier in the evolution of this DA. This occurred inexplicably without commensurate Community Consultation. A recent notice of motion taken to Council demonstrates that there is a widespread view within the community that Newcastle Council should withdraw its support for the development. Unfortunately the power of a few of our elected representatives not only stymied the voice of the many who will be harmed by this development, but also contrived, by manipulating with amendments, to pass a motion that does not actually reflect community opinion. This manipulation has shamefully provided BANL another opportunity to attempt to influence the decision-making process by claiming misleadingly that this demonstrates Council support of the DA. To distort the intention of the original motion in this manner is unconscionable and adds weight to concerns that have been expressed by others regarding conflicts of interest in the preceding process.
Along with other civic-minded Novocastrians I have been dismayed by the recent trend adopted by Newcastle Council whereby portions of public recreational areas are snaffled for tender to commercial enterprises. This creates an expansion of the divide between ‘the haves and have nots’ within our community. Those who can afford it can access the shiny new facilities and enjoy what’s on offer there, whereas for many others that space is no longer available to them, so they either watch from the outside, or stay away. (The replacement of the modest kiosk at Blackbutt Reserve with an upmarket restaurant is one such example). The proposed stadium would create a similar stratum of exclusivity. Sure, the basketball courts will be available to the local kids, but their access is dependent upon a commitment from parents or caregivers to be there at the right time, with the right gear, and the right frame of mind. Sport is only one form of physical activity that promotes health and wellbeing, and for many families, such participation it is not on their agenda or in their best interest.
If this DA is approved it affords further benefit to a robust Public Company whose membership, which extends far beyond the local Newcastle community, is characterised by a degree of elitism and privilege. BANL’s application identifies aims of inclusion and diversity, which is a positive feature, however rhetorical ideals lose potency when the reality is that approval for this development essentially calls for taking something away from those with less advantage. Many parents are not resourced (financially and otherwise) to facilitate their children’s engagement in organised sport.
The gain for BANL would come at the cost of a far greater number of community members for whom the opportunity for participation is shrinking incrementally. Given the plans for higher density development in nearby Broadmeadow, that negative impact will be exponential as population in this area increases. Children not yet born will be sharing an ever-reducing square meterage of open space in which to enjoy outdoor activities like throwing a ball, walking a pet, flying a kite, mastering a bike or trike or navigating a remote toy. The simple joy for a child to just play, or run as fast as they can, or sit on the grass and watch insects and birds, is available for free in the existing open space. An ethical analysis might justify sacrificing such a valuable community asset on altruistic grounds e.g for a crucial public service such as a paediatric oncology unit. However, it would be contrary to principles of social equity for the narrow interests of this entity (an organisation desiring “the highest standards of recreational facilities” for “the growing Basketball community within the Hunter region”) to be given primacy in this decision.
I am not in opposition to BANL upgrading their facilities to enhance the experience of their members and achieve their stakeholder’s aims, but good conscience does not permit this to occur at such cost to present and future generations of Novocastrians through the loss of this precious and irreplaceable open space.

I am a supporter of the current project and site of the proposed Hunter Indoor Sports Centre. I currently have children who participate and work at the existing facility and it is no longer fit for purpose. While I understand the site has objections I believe current proposal addresses all these including parking, flooding, traffic and use of green space. All sporting groups who use the site currently have been provided upgrades and it's clear the site is not used whenever there is rain. The school will also be provided an indoor sporting facility. I believe the benefits of the project include:
- Access for the hunter region to have a more diverse range of options for indoor sports. The facility will also cater to groups of different cultures (for example badminton)
- social benefits to bring together multiple sports
I also note this facility is not just for Newcastle Basketball but also for other sports to utilise indoor facilities that are not currently available such as international standard indoor netball courts.
I often drive past the proposed site and it is very rare that it is used.
I hope that my submission will support the proposed development and drive the future of sport in the hunter region.

The area that is proposed for this development is in the middle of a highly congested suburban location. It is also removing invaluable green space comprising 3 soccer fields that are also used for cricket and the local high school uses the fields daily.
The area is known for flooding and at times the entire area has been under water.
Across the road from the proposed development is MacDonald Jones Stadium which is the home for Newcastle Knights & Newcastle Jets, for both men & women. Also in the adjoining car park is the Newcastle International Hockey Centre which comprises 4 fields and is used daily.
The Stadium is also used for concerts at least 3 times a year,
The culmination of the current facilities creates traffic chaos for local residents when an event is held. Roads are blocked off and police are required to direct traffic and it’s common for local residents to be blocked out of their driveway for several hours.
Common sense must prevail with this proposed development, the current facilities and the green fields are all that is needed in this busy location.
Any further development will cause traffic mayhem on top of chaotic situation.

Green spaces are the lungs of a city - once lost almost impossible to recover. They mitigate the effects of pollution and reduce the urban heat island effect which Increases the need for cooling and thus energy consumption.
The proposed stadium together with its ancillary infrastructure will greatly increase the hard surfaces in a large area. The ambience of the residential areas already existing in the neighbourhood of this proposed complex will be severely deprecated. Increased traffic will increase pollution and detract from the quiet enjoyment of their homes. Hotter pavements and hard surfaces damage the water cycle. In summer, surface temperatures can be a staggering 50°C hotter than the surrounding air. That heat is transferred to the rainwater that drains into our sewers, which in turn raises water temperatures as it’s released into streams, rivers and lakes. This can be destructive to aquatic ecosystems, as changes in water temperature can be stressful or even fatal for marine life.
People on the lowest incomes living in cities are expected to live 10 years less than those on the highest incomes. This is due in part to the green spaces available to the richest people, who often live in open, leafy areas, while the poorest are often left living in overcrowded, heavily concreted areas.
Newcastle has already eagerly sacrificed a much loved, valuable inner city parkland for a private company's 3-day per annum car racing event. This is just one more example of short-term planning in Newcastle. Do not place it in an inner city green space.
The leading cities of the world value and enhance their green spaces, e.g. New York's Central Park, London's Hyde, Regent and St James Parks, and Paris's Parc des Buttes-Chaumont.
Plan for the future as well as the present - planning cities to include green spaces wherever possible is the first step in making our urban areas healthier. Destroying, instead of enhancing, such areas is a blight.