Hunter Indoor Sports Centre (HISC)

1/. Green space.
Once a concrete foundation is built on a green space, that green space is gone forever.
Wallarah oval has history. Along with Lambton Park it was the beginning of soccer in the new city of Newcastle.
It is next to a high school & is used by Lambton High for sport & recreation. Also as a safe place to evacuate students during a crisis.
Local sporting groups use these ovals for cricket, soccer, etc. Community members enjoy watching the sporting groups participate in the fore mentioned activities.
As well this green space is used for walking, jogging, cycling, pushing babies, walking dogs, generally socialising & enjoying time outside on their green space away from electronic devices.
Out on the green space there is time to observe nature at work, trees , magpies, herons, frogmouths, kookaburras, ibis, crickets, grasshoppers, butterflies & worms.
2/. Flooding.
On geological maps the ovals are a natural soak area. In fact much of this site was originally a swamp. The aptly named Styx Creek & Ker-tai Creek cannot cope when rain falls continuously over many days causing flooding.
During the Pasha Bulka downpour many Lambton residents had to evacuate their homes.
A basketball stadium will not absorb any water. Rather it will tip water & funnel it into local creeks & through the streets.
Climate change is predicted to bring heavy rain in large volumes over a short period of time.
Local residents already pay huge house insurance premiums, some being rejected by insurance companies. Will the basketball stadium pay when their houses are inundated & damaged.
3/. Parking & Traffic.
When the McDonald Jones stadium is sponsoring major sporting events & entertainment concerts, it creates huge volumes of traffic & serious congestion in the Turton Rd area.
This is extra traffic added to the normal very busy flow of traffic on this important link road & intersection.
A basketball stadium on these ovals will add an enormous amount of vehicles flowing along Turton Rd & surrounding streets.
Cars & popular tradie vehicles will be continuously going in & out of the stadium & onto Turton Road from early morning to 10pm at night.
Local residents already feel restricted & confined when events are occurring at the McDonald Jones stadium.
Local Streets are full of cars bumper to bumper looking for parks & often parking illegally. Emergency vehicles have extreme difficultly in reaching people in need of help!
4/. Older Residents.
Many older residents cannot use or access the computer to have a voice & make their objections heard.
Is this fair? After all Lambton was the first suburb in Newcastle to have a local council to make decisions for everyone to benefit.
Now many older, long time residents cannot be heard because of the year that were born!

There are many areas of land that can be used, that were once used for industrial purposes. It makes no sense to take valuable green space away for the purposes of a concrete slab!
It is called the Hunter Indoor Sports Stadium, so all areas of the Hunter should be looked at as potential sites.
Thank you.

This is typical of NSW state government ignoring the needs of an area other than the holy grail called Sydney.
As a person who frequents the nearby stadium, I say, you need to look at the bigger picture. There are people living metres away. These folk already have to endure the additional foot and road traffic that results from the nearby stadium and hockey ground.
Now the proposal is to build in a known flood prone area, get rid of green space, deny the nearby school use of this space, deny local junior sporting clubs the use of the space, and, totally ignore the wishes of people who live in the area.
The number of parking spaces offered with this development go nowhere near the needs of prospective events, that may very well occur at the same time as the nearby stadium and hockey field.
The state government must consider the implications of this proposed sports centre and how the people in the area, and adjoining suburbs, be affected if it goes ahead. Also, the wilful destruction of green space must be considered a travesty, regardless of what the computer jockeys report.

I don't believe this project should be in a residential area. It's ridiculous..

Stop congesting this area & leave our green spaces alone.

I believe that the main problem with the proposal is that it would cause Lambton High school to be without an adjacent oval, unlike possibly all State High Schools in the Lower Hunter. The school operates approximately 40 weeks per year, and uses the existing oval daily, weather permitting, both as part of lessons and during recess and lunch times, so it is an important facility for the school. The proposal would mean that in order for students to access open green space during recess, beyond the small area that the proposal leaves, they would need to each have a leave pass to leave the school grounds, walk 100 metres approximately along Womboin Road, and cross Wallarah Rd to reach Ford Oval, which may be difficult for the school to supervise. For PE lessons and the like, teachers would need to take the class by the same path if the proposed area left over from this proposal wasn’t large enough, which may often be the case. It seems regrettable to severely compromise the school facility in order to create the proposed facility, as worthy as it may be, a situation of robbing Peter to pay back Paul. Many other parks or open spaces as sites would not have this effect, so it seems in this sense like one of the worst places to locate the proposal.

Possible alternate plan
Is a more compact, more 2 storey solution possible? Say the eight stage 1 courts were built in their existing configuration, but with their southwest corner aligned to the existing footbridge that crosses the stormwater channel, with their floor level a floor above the proposed car park, but leaving the trees and bike path along the stormwater channel in place. They appear to just fit between the show court and the south edge of the proposed carpark. Also it appears that their eastern edge would approximately align with the eastern end of the show court buildings.

The Stage 2 courts (not including the show courts) could be built at a similar level over the carpark eastern end. Some reconfiguration or relocation of the proposed mezzanine areas such as the function, lounge and multi-purpose rooms may be necessary.

The big plus from this is that it would leave almost half of the site as is, as oval space for the school and for general public use. Possible negatives are increased construction cost, and the need to provide ramps or lifts for disability access to the floor level of the courts (except the show court which remains at its existing proposed level).

Other possible sites
Whilst the proposed location has some advantages in terms of regional access, it may be that the vicinity of Hamilton station would be better in that local trains from both the Maitland line and the Morisset line go there directly. To that end the south corner of Wickham Park could be considered as a site. While there is a smaller footprint available if the 2 main cricket pitches are retained, there may be adequate space for a different configuration of the facility, or a more 2-storey solution, as described above.

Another possible site is the eastern end of Waratah Park, another Smith Park in Hamilton North, and yet another the western end of Womboin Rd in New Lambton.

All of these sites would not be depriving a major school of its playing field (the Waratah site appears large enough to leave a playing field size space adjacent to Waratah Technology School)

Sporting codes already use this park, and have done so for many years, then they should not be displaced. Also their use still allows plenty of green space in this area.

My family and I have been a resident of Hitchcock Ave New Lambton since 2002, being part of a sporting hub with all forms of outdoor spaces has been one of the joys of living in this area and during this time we have seen the expansion of Mc Donald Jones stadium and the Hockey Complex.
I object to this development for three reasons:
1. Loss of green space : the basketball centre will remove three playing ovals which are utilised by numerous sporting codes through the week and on weekends, as well as dog walkers and families for recreation.
2. Increase traffic and parking: already during the NRL season and Jets/ Hockey tournaments/ we are subjected to huge volumes of traffic around streets and parking across drive ways, on corners. Put into this mix basketball traffic from 7am to 10pm everyday , the proposed 200+ parking just will not accommodate the volume of cars being brought into the area.
3. The noise level. Having games every day until 10 pm at night, the noise from games/particpants/ cars will be unbearable.

My primary school aged son plays basketball with Newcastle Basketball. They need a new facility but I object to them building it on the 3 valuable green ovals near my home.

I live one street block from the site proposed for the Hunter Indoor Sports Centre (HISC). I heard about the proposal from my mother. Apart from a letter from Dpt of Planning a fortnight ago, I have never received any notification of the proposal except for letter drops by concerned residents who have formed the Save Our Lambton Ovals Facebook group.

I believe that consultation should have been held with stakeholders & the affected community. This has not been undertaken. Even the people living in the 20 units immediately next to the ovals were not notified of it.

I am a single parent & my two sons attend New Lambton Primary School (NLPS). NLPS does not have ANY green space – not even a patch of grass within the school grounds. I was very upset when I realised my children would have to go to NLPS as I believed they would have been zoned for Lambton Primary. The reason I didn’t want them going to NLPS is because both of them play sport & all they can do at NLPS is play under a covered outdoor area that is concreted.

There are over 600 students at NLPS & they have to share this one covered play area on concrete. To play sport they are required to walk to the 3 ovals which Newcastle Basketball wish to build the HISC on. My children complain that they have 5-10 minutes of teachers mustering everyone together, they then walk 20 minutes to the ovals, & they have to walk 20 minutes back to school. Their complaint is that they spend more time walking to & from, then they get to play the sport itself.

My sons are in years 5 & 6 next year. Both are keen to go to Lambton High School (LHS) which is the school they are zoned for, & also the school that is about 10 houses away from our home. When they heard that they might not have any green space at high school if this development is approved, both were very angry. In fact, one son is adamant that he will not go to LHS if it loses those ovals. He plays football & touch football all year round. When at home, he’s often across the road kicking a football around with his mates. We chose to live here because of this beautiful green area, & we do not support any development on the ovals – especially when it is just basketball (& minimal other indoor sports) that will be using it.

Currently the ovals are used every school day by the students at LHS. The school has used those ovals since it was built & I understand that was one of the reasons why it was built there in the first place. There are 1,200 students at LHS. If that green space was denied to them, they would be left with a couple of covered basketball courts & another 2 in the open. At the moment, a large number of the kids go out onto the ovals during classroom breaks & lunch time. My boys have so been looking forward to this.

The LHS P&C is opposed to the development of the ovals. This excerpt is from the Newcastle Herald.

Lambton High School parents are gearing up to fight Newcastle's new basketball stadium being built on the ovals where their children play sport and study PE.
"We're against it, yes," the school's Parents and Citizens group secretary, Jacqui Young, said on Wednesday after news emerged that Newcastle Basketball had lodged a scoping report for the stadium.
The Newcastle Herald reported on Saturday that the basketball association had started the development application process for the stadium on Wallarah and Blackley ovals beside Lambton High.
It hopes to start building in 2025 if the state planning minister approves what is classified as a state significant development.
The stadium and its car park will take up almost all of the two playing fields if approved.
The high school has 1200 students and rents the council-managed Crown land as a playground and sports space.
The P&C conducted a survey in July which found 83 per cent of parents and carers opposed the stadium being built next to the school and 55 per cent rated the stadium's impact on their children as "major", or 10 out of 10 on a sliding scale.
A total of 372 people responded to the survey.
"The P&C and the community have quite a few concerns, but the main ones are around the impact it has directly on the students' sport and PDHPE [Personal Development, Health and Physical Education]," Ms Young said.
"I think the current proposal is that we may be left with three quarters of a soccer field.
"There's no other area where we can expand to.
"I think it's been suggested we could use the fields that are further west, however, by the time you get your gear and you get a class to walk up to that intersection and set up you've impeded on lesson time.
"You're now asking students to cross a street. It's not an effective use of time."

This would put the high school in the same situation as my boys’ primary school. It would mean that to access any playing fields it would require the school undertaking risk management, excursion advices to all parents, increase in costs, decrease in play time, taking teachers away from other work (currently high school kids don’t need the high level of supervision that primary kids do), & taking a lot of time out from school work due to the need to travel further to play or exercise. Also, when the other ovals west of Wallarah Rd are all line marked, or the cricket pitch prepared for play, school students won’t be allowed to use them.

Both the high school & the adjoining ovals are owned by the government. The ovals should remain vacant so that both the primary & high schools can use them. They may also be needed if the Hunter Park & Broadmeadow Precinct plans increase the local population by another 40,000 residents.

The positive health benefits with kids playing sport is well documented. To lose these ovals would be a failure of our generation to forward plan for the needs of coming generations. They deserve better. More high rise units & flats are being built & when large developments are proposed they no longer need to provide sufficient parking.

I find it very difficult to enter or exit my home of a weekday afternoon & all weekend when sport is being played on the ovals in front of my home. Vehicles park right up to my driveway so that I have to enter or exit at a 90 degree angle from the opposite side of the road. I put up with this, because I chose to live here because of the green space & proximity to schools.

However, any time there is an event on at McDonald Jones Stadium the traffic & parking is absolute chaos, with thousands more motorists looking for parks. This happens fortnightly throughout the year. Council now has an application to add another 15 major events to the McDonald Jones calendar. I can’t object to that because I was never notified & now the time for objections has closed. Another 15 events would mean the parking chaos is almost every weekend.

This proposed development of the HISC would see more parking issues every afternoon & night during the week, & all weekend. The DA does not provide anywhere near enough parking for players so they’ll all use our streets. If players walk past bouncing basketballs on the footpaths, the noise will impact us all.

Currently the LHS classrooms look out over the green ovals. If the development is approved, they’ll have a 15 metre high ugly, large scale development next to them. The impact on the residents of the 20 units next door will be very negative.

We experience a very high volume of traffic when any event is on at the current stadium or hockey centre. If the basketball stadium is approved, that traffic increase will be daily. People could only drive into the proposed HISC from Turton Rd south. To get there they will have to come from the south or from our residential streets on the western side of Turton Rd.

This development should not be approved in this residential pocket of Lambton/New Lambton, & council & government should be fighting to retain all valuable green space in our expanding cities with increasing populations.

My major objections are (1) traffic and parking issues and (2) increased risk of flooding.

I live on Womboin Road and welcome the sports and entertainment that occur at McDonald Jones Stadium.
The additional traffic and parking requirements are not addressed in the DA.

TRAFFIC
3.22 Daily Demand
Usage mid week day time much Lower than Peak of 4pm to 8pm midweek. (Peak 480 visits per hour)
Saturday use is high but not as high as mid week.

3.2.3 Hours of operation 6am to 11pm.

EIS Figure 2.4 there is an imaginary train line in the development.
Love to know how this will be funded when Newcastle Plans were to run a train line through Brunker Road Broadmeadow
These plans are decades down the track based on the cost of the Hunter St light train.

EIS 2.3.1 Talks about Buses Turton Road B63
Intersects with Griffiths Road.
DA acknowledges current flooding of this major intersection but offers no solutions with the exception of installing bollards in the car park to prevent cars being washed away should there be a storm event. And, patrons will be advised not to park in designated car park should there be warnings of a pending storm or heavy rain event.
Young Road is closed during Major Events. (this already impacts on traffic)
Peak Periods will limit turning capacity (I think this figures are underestimated)
Parking permitted along Wallarah Road and Womboin Road - already fully used - no capacity for extra.
Does not appear they have done studies during a Big Event.
All they state are 'expected' and 'estimated'. Where are the 'actuals'

DA 2.5 states Pedestrian access crossing at Turton Road allows for safe and controlled pedestrian and cyclist movments)
(big events mean local police are employed to manage the pedestrian and traffic)

Pedestrian access to Hockey (from bike path to hockey) has already resulted in injuries to children.
Increased pedestrian activity will increase the chances of injury and possible one day a fatality.


2.6 to 2.6.3 acknowledges all the parking around proposed DA but fails to address current parking already impacts without
Consideration of the extra burden this development would bring.

2.7.4 Egress - exit
Ingress - entry
(Turton Road, Griffiths Road to Lambton Road will only be closed to traffic during egress) ?
Closing down Turton Road would create an absolute nightmare for the whole area.

Flooding already occurs at the intersection of Turton Road and Griffiths Road.
I wish the planners would actually speak with the locals and look at the increased risk of flooding that will occur.

Saturday 2 November, I heard on local radio that ninja's could not train at Blackley/Wallarah ovals today and were playing in Jesmond.
Only reason given was the parks are unavailable. Stadium not even built and already we are short of ovals based on this news report.
I lived through the 2007 floods in Newcastle (at the time I was living in St Georges Road, New Lambton). I lost everything and was homeless for 7 weeks until new tenancy could be found.
Local residences around these ovals cannot afford the estimated $13,000 per annum house insurance as it is.
Will insurance rates go even higher due to the higher risk of flooding.

Other issues that I believe ha e not been fully considered are:

Concern for the people living in Units next to Lambton High School (on Turton Road side) and how the proposed development will affect them visually and possible increased flood risk.

Woolworths Development on Lambton Road Broadmeadow rejected due to flooding and traffic issues.

Lambton High Students impacted and all future students in decades to come with loss of green space.
App LL Community Consultation
App II Social and Economic investment

Greg Piper has a proposal for Lake Macquarie / Glendale area. Why are other options not been considered.

Political Bias in a Labour Newcastle Council wanting this development which resulted in an Election of an Independent Mayor.
Community is angry that their local council members have not listened nor support any of their concerns.

Awabakal Land Claim on the site.

Impact of lighting and DA on wildlife. Many birds use these parks. Bats migrate at night from Blackbutt to up the North Coast crossing over Lambton and New Lambton areas.
Will lighting impact the bat migration. Has the environmental impact fully considered all ramifications.


COST
Currently have $25million. Expected cost in total $90 million
Where is the additional funding coming from.

I strongly OBJECT to any Development on the Wallarah and Blackley Ovals on the basis of all of the above.
I also draw attention to the wonderful airial photographs in the DA that give a biased view of showing how little green space the DA will take up compared to other green parks around.
Anyone who is not a local will look at these plans and believe there to be plenty of other green area's around these parks.
However ALL the green space in Lambton, New Lambton, Broadmeadow and surrounding area's are utilised and the loss of 3 open ovals will have a huge detrimental impact on the community.

I am writing to express my objection to the proposed site for the new Hunter Indoor Sports Centre. I am not against the project itself but against its being built at the current proposed site.

I live in New Lambton and have children zoned for Lambton High School. I protest to the proposed location at Wallarah and Blackley Ovals on the following grounds:
1. Irreversible loss of green space in an already over developed area
2. Conversion of a multipurpose facility into a single use facility
At present, that oval can be used for cricket, football, recreation and play space for the neighbouring high school. It can be accessed for free and anytime. Its use is flexible and could be used for markets or other community events. Building indoor courts that service only one sport and cannot be accessed by the public unless they pay court hire is not inclusive to the wide community.
3. This space is used regularly by the adjacent Lambton High School for both sport and at lunch time. Green space has been associated with improvement in mental health, anxiety, sleep, well being and a sense of community. I object to this being removed for the building of a man made structure that services only the basketball community at the exclusion of all other groups including students. It is also an evaluation location for the adjacent high school for over 1200 students.
3. Building on a flood prone area
This is a low lying area of Lambton that has been vulnerable to flooding. The oval acts as an entry point into the ground water. Building a physical structure there will increase flooding risk to nearby homes.
4. Poor traffic management plan
This area already sees significant traffic surges around events at the McDonald Jones Stadium. There will be inadequate parking for both visitors and residents around the stadium and traffic congestion in the area. The area is not well supported by public transport.
5. Lack of community consultation - the residents have been poorly engaged by Newcastle Basketball
6. Insufficient Funding for the project risks the destruction of the ovals with no money available to complete or maintain the facility

I support a new basketball complex, but not in this location.

The value of this green space to Lambton High School (LHS) is immeasurable. The ovals are imperative to the health & wellbeing of the school’s more than 1,200 students. LHS has used these adjoining ovals for 50 years & lease them from Newcastle Council. Apart from these 3 ovals, LHS has no green play space for its students.

With another 40,000 residents proposed in Hunter Park & Broadmeadow Precinct there will undoubtedly be an increase in the number of students at LHS. Sensible, long-term town planning would envisage the need for LHS to expand. Both the school & ovals are owned by NSW Govt, & utilising part of the adjoining ovals for expansion needs would be far easier than seeking funds to procure land elsewhere to build a new high school.

The relationship between open green space & human health & wellbeing is well documented. Green spaces are known to boost serotonin & dopamine levels in the brain, contributing to happiness & wellbeing. Exposure to green spaces helps to reduce feelings of anger, frustration & anxiety, as well as combat symptoms of seasonal affective disorder.

NSW Govt has recently directed mobile phones be turned off whilst students are at school. Apart from removing the distraction in the classroom, this ruling has sought to encourage them to engage with each other, interact, exercise & “be in the moment”. Teachers are reporting remarkable improvements in student behaviour, attention in class, interaction with fellow students & greatly increased physical activity.

To schools such as New Lambton Primary School (NLPS), there is a limit to the type of outdoor play & activity students can participate in. NLPS has no green space within the school grounds & the nearest playing fields they are permitted to utilise are the ovals under application. Students at NLPS are zoned for LHS. If the ovals are developed, current & future students will have spent their 13 years of schooling without any green play space. Apart from that being an appalling outcome, many of them may have little other opportunity to combat obesity, play sports for free, build a sense of teamwork, etc. Participation in sport is especially important for those many children who do not have a father figure. Male teachers are not in the majority, & the vast majority of coaches are men who can be valuable mentors to children.

There are so many families who can no longer afford to enroll their children in sport. Registration, uniforms, shoes & travel costs on top of the financial commitments & strain in everyday households, results in so many children missing out. Parents & caregivers are working longer hours, with many taking on second jobs. Children are paying the price & this makes their school play & exercise so important.

The Australian Government Institute of Health & Welfare evidences the importance of nature & green space to human health & wellbeing. It refers to older suburbs being low density & thus having greater distances to travel to desired destinations. Lambton & New Lambton are low density, largely single storey suburbs. The existing green spaces will be even more important as developers build more units, & as councils increase height limits to address the housing crisis.

Climate change is acknowledged & reports this week state that our summer temperatures are going to be hotter, for longer. We are being warned of more frequent flooding events & major storm surges. The development proposed is of a huge industrial scale &, apart from being inappropriate in a low density residential suburb, it & all its surrounding concrete poses a huge risk of flooding to the residents south of the stormwater drain – being Monash Rd & all that southern area of the suburb. The proposed development is on higher ground than the residential community of Monash Rd & further south. There is a natural spring adjacent to the proposed development. I cannot see how, for a building of this magnitude & all the planned concrete surrounding it, the rainwater tanks, stormwater pits & a couple of small gardens will play any major part in containing stormwater & preventing major flooding of the stormwater channel & homes beyond it.

I believe this development poses a very real & life threatening risk to residents immediately south of the stormwater channel. These houses were flooded by over 1m of water in 2007 & their insurance costs are becoming prohibitive. I know of 3 home owners in that pocket so fearful they have stated they will sell their homes if this development proceeds. The trauma of the previous flood is evident.

I live in Durham Rd, just north of the proposal site. I learnt of this DA midway through this year. I have family who live 14 houses away from the development & they heard about it from me. I have spoken to many neighbours & they were unaware of it. I cannot find any evidence of the mandatory “stakeholder & community engagement” – unless local residents do not fit into either category. Sporting groups, LHS, departments & agencies have all been referenced. I presume the “community support” is from the basketball community as there has been no residential community notification or engagement. I believe this should necessitate the determining authority holding a WELL PUBLICISED public meeting with local residents. All residents of Lambton, New Lambton, Broadmeadow, Hamilton North & Waratah should be notified by mail well in advance of the public meeting & given an opportunity to speak to the decision makers.

I am very concerned at the effect on local residents due to insufficient parking proposed for the development. We all know that this will mean our residential streets will frequently be full of patrons’ vehicles. This poses a risk to life, as ambulances & fire engines cannot traverse many of the narrower streets if vehicles are parked on both sides. The 900 car spaces referred to in McDonald Jones Stadium are being removed & commercial multi-storey buildings are proposed in that space.

One of the businesses which is greatly affected by sporting patrons using all their parking spaces is Broadmeadow Medical Clinic. When an event is on at McDonald Jones Stadium or the International Hockey Centre, the medical clinic is conveniently close & quickly gets parked out. The medical clinic is open late in the evening & also after hours on weekends. I have frequently seen all their parks full & those alighting from the vehicles are wearing NRL, soccer or hockey clothing (usually fans not players). This is an unacceptable situation & could pose significant issues for patients, especially those with mobility constraints or people who must drive themselves there for medical attention.

There is insufficient parking now when any event is on at McDonald Jones Stadium (MJS). All residential streets in a radius around MJS are default parking for patrons, not overflow parking. To add another major sports stadium to the precinct that also houses the International Hockey Centre, & none of them providing sufficient parking, is dangerous planning & shows no regard for residents. When events are on, our feeder streets off Turton Rd are closed 5-8 hours prior. All traffic is then winding through our streets as they try to find parks in front of our homes. The traffic report had no cameras working & appeared to make “guesses” at what traffic was normally in the area. How can I contest a traffic report that is based on guesswork? In addition, it does not mention any local traffic issues when events are on at McDonald Jones Stadium or the Hockey Centre. The traffic report is flawed & inaccurate.

In my attachment you will see a post on Newcastle Basketball’s Facebook page alerting patrons to restrictions in basketball parking prior to the Pink concert at MJS in February 2024. Streets in a 1km radius of MJS are fully parked out when any major event is on at MJS. This DA seeks to compound the issue.

Noise from bouncing balls, referee whistles, increased traffic & patrons will have a high & negative impact on the amenity of residents & LHS. The centre is to operate 7 days a week from 7am to 10pm, with outside courts & gym accessible 24 hours a day. The development is totally unsuited to the location & planners should ensure it is built somewhere appropriate, like Hunter Park or Glendale. 2 outdoor courts & a gym are proposed behind landscaping. I believe this was a last minute addition in diagrams only, to gain an exemption from the payment of a special contribution to council as they have not been assessed for safety, acoustics, lighting (sensors will go off throughout the night), etc.

The “parking” in Monash Rd referred to will be the default choice, not overflow parking. The northern side is a grassed road reserve that falls steeply to a stormwater channel. Unless sealed & made safe with bollards, rails or wheel stops, a tragedy is unavoidable. There is no mention of a proposed footpath on either side of Monash Rd, yet it is to be utilised as parking for the Hunter Indoor Sports Centre (HISC). Must pedestrians walk in the middle of the road? Will this make HISC, Newcastle Basketball or Newcastle Council liable when a tragedy unfolds?

Newcastle Basketball received a grant of $30M & have spent approx $5M. HISC is stated to cost $90M & a recent request for additional funding was denied. To destroy these sporting fields & valued high school green space for an undeliverable development would be unfathomable. If the DA is approved I would like to be advised of the appeal process.

Please see my attachment.

Green space amongst residential areas must be kept. Green space is part of the flood protection system in the Lambton area and must be kept. Natural bushland areas are becoming rare, so much clearing for commercial purposes where the Pacific Highway meets the bypass. Natural bushland must not be given up for commercial purposes.
Present industrial areas such as the abandoned steel work area and new industrial Mayfield area would be suitable for a big basketball stadium, as would some of the present commercial areas.
The basketball project does not have to be so big either. It could be organised on several smaller sites, providing good facilities closer to users.
Keeping the basketball facilities where they are at present and giving up some of the land promised to new high rise development close to Broadmeadow rail station would also be a good plan. Tennis courts nearby have become fast food drive in outlets! A waste! With some proper planning and removing land from such commercial activities nearby, the basketball stadium could be rebuilt and expanded at its present site.

I object to the proposed location of this project. Blackley Oval and the surrounding playing fields are a valuable community asset. They are used regularly by nearby Lambton High School as well as grassroots sports including soccer and cricket. I understand there is a shortage of venues in Newcastle, especially for cricket. Removing access to this space for the school will disadvantage students who can currently participate in sport and other physical activities at low or no cost, in a timely fashion.
My family and I frequently ride my bike through this area and I can't recall a time when this space was not being used by someone. As well as the school, parents of young children use it as a safe place for toddlers to run, learn to ride bikes, kick balls and so on. There are often parents there kicking a football, or practising other sports skills with their children. Adults also use the area for the same purpose.
Building the sports centre there will mean that the general community will no longer have access to a free, safe place to play.
There are apartment blocks nearby that may lose sight of any greenery from the windows.
Latest research shows that the presence of green spaces is vital to the mental well being of people of all ages, incomes and education levels. Removing this large green space will be detrimental to the whole community who live in the area. I am not familiar with the layout of Lambton High School, but I imagine putting a building on that site will not improve the amenity of the school.
Siting the centre at the proposed location will remove a space that is currently available for all to use, and limit its use to those able to afford to use it. The social disadvantages of this proposal outweigh any other benefit that may be had from it.
My understanding is that at this stage, no other site has been considered. This is not acceptable.

I object to the proposed location of this project. Blackley Oval and the surrounding playing fields are a valuable community asset. They are used regularly by nearby Lambton High School as well as grassroots sports including soccer and cricket. I understand there is a shortage of venues in Newcastle, especially for cricket. Removing access to this space for the school will disadvantage students who can currently participate in sport and other physical activities at low or no cost, in a timely fashion.
I frequently ride my bike through this area and I can't recall a time when this space was not being used by someone. As well as the school, parents of young children use it as a safe place for toddlers to run, learn to ride bikes, kick balls and so on. There are often parents there kicking a football, or practising other sports skills with their children. Adults also use the area for the same purpose.
Building the sports centre there will mean that the general community will no longer have access to a free, safe place to play.
There are apartment blocks nearby that may lose sight of any greenery from the windows.
Latest research shows that the presence of green spaces is vital to the mental well being of people of all ages, incomes and education levels. Removing this large green space will be detrimental to the whole community who live in the area. I am not familiar with the layout of Lambton High School, but I imagine putting a building on that site will not improve the amenity of the school.
Siting the centre at the proposed location will remove a space that is currently available for all to use, and limit its use to those able to afford to use it. The social disadvantages of this proposal outweigh any other benefit that may be had from it.
My understanding is that at this stage, no other site has been considered. This is not acceptable.

Thank you for the opportunity to voice my strong objection to this proposed Basketball stadium development.
I reside in a Unit next door to the planned stadium and am hugely disappointed with the way I found out. I must highlight that I wasn’t personally informed in any way, (eg. mail, letterbox drop, even word of mouth etc) I actually found out via a local TV news bulletin. That disappointment quickly turned to anger when I found out that in a later declaration that Newcastle Basketball announced that it had “direct engagement and consultation” and publicly listed 23 community and stakeholders relating to this development. However, they failed in this communication with those effected the most, we, the local residents. In other words, Newcastle Basketball have publicly admitted that it hasn’t directly engaged or communicated with those most adversely effected, a process I would have thought would be top of their list of priorities.
That lack of direct consultation has continued.
Following that initial disappointment, I was surprised to learn that a number of new Newcastle City councillors who are in the position where they can either vote to support or object to the development, are unaware of a number of important steps in this process. Firstly, a number of councillors were unaware that the local aboriginal Land Council have a current land claim on the ovals and also a motion at the last council meeting was put forward to ask for this issue to be directed straight to the Independent Planning Commission. That cannot happen, a strict process must be followed and to simply expect to “ask” for the development to bypass the appropriate process and pass directly to the IPC shows a complete ignorance of what’s at hand. These ignorances not just surprise me, but worry me. What other important aspects of this process does this council not have a handle on?
I also strongly object to the very obvious visual impact this stadium will have on local residents. Plans to build a 6 storey grandstand on this site will see a beautiful well utilised popular green space disappear forever. Gone never to return. Aside from the many local residents, some with children, some exercising pets, some exercising with mates, some simply enjoying the fresh air and open space. Cricket teams, soccer teams (of all ages) utilise these grounds for competition and training most days and nights of the week. The adjacent high school also use the grounds for sporting activities on a daily basis. To forego these ovals for their outdoor activities would turn these activities into excursions which then entails comprehensive paperwork to cover all safety aspects, resulting in less time devoted to the actual activities, added teacher supervision, more time allocated to getting to and from another oval. These problems add to the undeniable negative visual impact the loss of this open green space will have on the physical and mental development of the students of this high school. This open green space is also very importantly used by the school for emergency evacuation musters. The multi function use of this space is a paid arrangement with Newcastle City Council and would create a dangerous scenario if this stadium development is approved.
Following on from this point, the visual impact for myself (living next door) will be huge. My outlook (and that of the residents of the other 19 Units in my complex) now is out onto beautiful green, open grassland, but should this stadium go ahead, that will disappear and all I will see is an 18 metre wall of concrete.
Parking in the local streets is already a nightmare especially on days (and nights) when the local rugby league team (The Knights) play in the stadium across the road. Throw the crowd from the hockey next door every night of the week in hockey season, the increasing number of entertainment shows (eg. Paul McCartney, Pink, motorcycle and big wheel trucks) at McDonald Jones Stadium directly across the road, the extra traffic that will be generated when the new Newcastle Entertainment Centre becomes a reality as well as the already high daily traffic flow from one of Newcastle’s major road arteries (Turton Road) then add to all of that the proposed extra 3,000 vehicles per day forecast for the basketball players and supporters if this stadium is built, well, quite simply, it’s a recipe for disaster.
That leads me to what I believe to be a huge reason as to why this development should never go ahead. I was fortunate enough to have been employed in the NSW Fire Brigade for 37 years with many of those years served at the local Lambton Fire Station, 100 metres up the road from this proposed basketball stadium. My local street knowledge can see huge problems for all fire appliances in an emergency accessing the narrow streets around this new stadium and quite frankly (and maybe, brutally) a disaster isn’t out of the question. The local streets are tight and narrow already making access very difficult without the added pressure from the expected volume of predicted basketball traffic.
Parking spaces allocated to the new stadium will go nowhere near to providing enough on site parking at the venue, so the majority of motorists will attempt to park on these already dangerously overcrowded streets placing all pedestrians at potential risk of injury from inattentive drivers looking for that elusive parking space.
Another very negative point that has to be highlighted is that this proposed site is flood prone. The unprecedented 2007 Pasha Bulker weather event caused major flood damage to residential properties surrounding these ovals which forced insurance premiums to skyrocket. Very relevant questions being asked are, “what will happen to the water that is currently absorbed by the beautiful green space when that same area is covered in concrete?” and “Where will all of that water go?” Very important question. To date, no detailed answers have been provided.
I could actually keep going with this submission, but I think I’ve covered some very important aspects as to why this proposed development should not proceed on this particular site.
I would just like make it clear that, in my opinion, this stadium development is completely and obviously highly inappropriate for Wallarah and Blackley Ovals.
Thank you for the opportunity to express my thoughts.
Peter BERNASCONI
Turton Road
New Lambton.

I disagree with building any property on the recreational land of Lambton or Newcastle

I am writing this as a Lambton community member. I agree there needs to be a new basketball stadium built, but the location needs to be changed.
Along with the high schools use of these beautiful oval comes many sporting teams that use it, such as cricket, soccer, football, cricket and person use for the community. Once built on we can never get the green space back.
I am also a Newcastle Knights supporter and there is never much parking on game days, although the basketball stadium will have parking it will never be enough. As a current basketball parent, there is always never enough parking and even if the stadium was to be built where planned, along with hockey, concerts, sporting event at McDonald Jones it will be a nightmare.
I have witnessed on many occasions people parking illegally or over driveways in the kilometres surrounding McDonald's Jones stadium. The streets are already at there limits and this will only add stress and traffic chaos to the area.
Why not knock down down the entertainment centre and build there or even next to the entertainment centre.
There are many more places that the stadium can be built on.
In the news we hear so much about childhood obesity and that it's becoming more of a problem with kids being on technology, why take this green space that is used by many different groups and make a stadium that isn't for everyone to use.
As a member of the local waterpolo club, we travel all over to Swansea, Raymond Terrace, speers point, Mayfield. Why don't we look at schools in the local area to hold basketball games. Basketball along with netball are the only two sports I know where they have to be played at one spot.
I am all for a new basketball stadium, as I said I am a basketball parent. But the location really isn't the right spot.

Poor communication
I received very limited communication by mail, none by email, phone, or doorknock about the proposed 6 storey development next door to where I live. I found out about the proposed stadium from Facebook and online news articles. There was no presentation for next door residents, only the high-school, Newcastle council, and Newcastle Basketball members. Drop-in sessions were available to us. The only pro-active communication I received regarding the proposal was a letter/flyer.

Lighting
Most of my living room natural light is from windows / glass verandah doors facing the open oval (approx 30m away), how much will 6 storeys quite close by reduce my rooms natural light?
The SEARS states
• “Provide a solar access analysis of the overshadowing impacts of the development within the site, on surrounding properties and public spaces (during summer and winter solstice and spring and autumn equinox) at hourly intervals between 9am and 3pm, when compared to the existing situation and a compliant development (if relevant).”

The architectural design report Appendix F only displays shadow diagrams in the June winter solstice and not summer.

• Section 7 also states “the proposed building is surrounded by roads to the west, south and north”
this is incorrect, there are residential units facing the proposed show court building directly to the north.

Visual amenity
My apartment will directly face the tallest walls of the proposed facility, I have concern the visual impact, carpark movements to 11pm, and noise from this building will greatly reduce the value and living quality of my apartment.

I truly believe there are better options for all parties,
1. Redevelop / redesign the current basketball facility at its location in Broadmeadow, the environmental impact is already there and operating (I acknowledge it is very dilapidated, unsafe, and too small to accommodate the demand). Much the same as the Allianz stadium redevelopment which was built in the same location after the SFS was deemed unfit.
2. Find a more suitable location.
Green sporting/recreational space in a built up area is vitally important to retain for many environmental, social and community benefits. As Newcastle population is ever increasing green space is crucial to the well-being of the community for the future.

We are making a joint submission as we only have one email address otherwise we would have made individual ones.
My main concerns about this project are:
Traffic - the area is already very congested and adding extra cars will increase the likelihood of accidents. I am particularly worried about children, older residents and animals as cars line up and become impatient trying to park and get in and out of the area
As a sports lover, I am not opposed to the development of a new stadium however, I do not agree with the area chosen.
We live 4-5 houses from the ovals and will be greatly affected if this goes ahead.
Flooding: I am also concerned about the possible flooding given this area was heavily impacted in the Pasha Bulker floods of 2007. We live right beside a large stormwater drain and currently the ovals soak up a lot of water when it rains. When they are covered by a large concrete slab where will the water go?

Pam Bishop

As a past educator I am very disappointed that the school is going to suffer tremendously with the loss of the sports grounds. Lambton high is a large high school with 1200 students. There are 2 large primary schools, pre schools that also use the ovals and will be impacted by the loss of the green space and will be unable to benefit from the amenity they have enjoyed for years. I'm disappointed that these schools have been restricted from expressing how it impacts them - the teachers need the grounds for lessons and its the emergency evacuation centre. PE lessons happen on the ovals every day and the children need access to grass for most of these sports. Parents will have to pay bus fees for the students to do sports at other locations. Fred Bishop
We are opposed to the development on this location

The project is to large for the area.The sporting ovals are used buy several sports and and a lot of children.As a resident of Newcastle I find we have lost all our open spaces the governments have handed all these spaces over to developers without any respect for the residents.I ride on the bike track that runs past this area this development will cause major problems for anybody using this, track