Hunter Indoor Sports Centre (HISC)

I am writing to express my concerns regarding the proposal to construct an indoor sports stadium on the green space located on Turton Rd and Monash Rd.
I live adjacent of this proposal on the corner of Monash Rd and Gloucester Avenue, New Lambton.
We are a family of three children who play basketball and are members of Newcastle basketball.
I understand and support the need for new and accessible sports facilities, especially for the sport of basketball. However, I believe this particular development site will have unintended negative impacts on our community’s environment, traffic, and quality of life.

The proposed site currently serves as a valuable green space, providing residents with an area for relaxation, recreation, dog walking, a high school playground and also many different sporting teams playing all year round.

Lambton High School has a long standing tradition of utilising these ovals as an extension of its educational and lunch time breaks daily. These green spaces provide students with an invaluable area for physical education classes. Having access to these fields allows the school to promote a balanced education, encouraging students to participate in physical activity alongside their academic studies. This balance is crucial in developing healthy lifestyle habits and fostering a sense of teamwork and school spirit.
There are fields near by that are a walkable distance but students will have to cross over busy roads and the walk will take a lot of their school time walking to these locations and a lot more valuable time for teachers to prepare for these outings.

In addition with the green space problem there will be a major traffic problem with the traffic plan in place. There is no right turn entry if you’re heading south along Turton Rd into the Hunter indoor sports stadium. This means Monash Rd will be a popular route for the indoor sports stadium on an already busy road.
Monash Road is a popular parking street for visitors to McDonald Jones stadium where up to 30,000 people attend.
Monash Road has pedestrians using this road as a walk way as there is limited space behind cars and the drain running along Monash Road which will make it even more dangerous with the increased traffic

Events and daily usage at the indoor centre would bring more a lot more vehicles to the area, creating congestion, noise, and safety concerns, particularly on roads that aren’t equipped to handle heavy traffic flow.

This would also lead to even more limited parking for residents. I have personally received fines for parking on my driveway as I have no other options where to park when there are events on at McDonald Jones stadium.
If this were to be a constant issue, I would personally have to look at selling our family home as it would not be bearable with children to be constantly looking for a parking spot in close approximate to our home.

I also feel extremely disappointed being such a close resident to this development, I’ve had zero communication or consultation from Newcastle council, the state government or Newcastle basketball about this development. With such a development that will have a major impact on my family’s lifestyle and our neighbourhood you have to ask questions why we weren’t directly invited or informed about open sessions or given notifications about this project.

While I am an advocate for sports development and fully support facilities for youth like my own children, I encourage the state government to consider alternative locations. Choosing a site with better infrastructure for traffic and minimal environmental impact would help our community meet its recreational needs without sacrificing valuable green spaces and the impact on nearby residents.

Thank you for considering these concerns. I hope that together the community, state government and Newcastle basketball can find a solution that supports both environmental preservation and recreational opportunities for our youth.

Sincerely,
Thomas Robertson

I am opposed to this planning application for the following reasons:

- Flood risk is an issue for this area, the drain that runs the length of the proposed site fills to the brim continually in heavy rain. There is no better flood mitigation than open space and natural areas. The current open space allows for natural drainage and reduces flood risk. Removal of open space in this area which is near a major school, major road and residences increases flood risk even with proposed solutions and puts people including students at risk. The minimal flood mitigation will not eliminate water - this will be dangerous for both students and residents. The only mitigation in the report mentions run off and rain tanks which is very poor and will not ease the flooding issues at all. Run off into an already full drain or roads is unsafe. In nearby Bridges Road upgrades of stormwater drains has not removed water only reduced it so the two proposed solutions will not be effective

Traffic & Parking
The traffic report focused on Turton Road and did not address all surrounding thoroughfares or streets that will be used and has under played true impacts. Other roads mentioned in the studies, Young Road, Womboin, Wallarah & Monash which if you visit the area all run around a busy school with many having 40 school zones have had no studies done on them. The report references outdated studies over 14 years old. Traffic impact is not fully understood and further information should be obtained.
Proposed entry off turton road is closed during all major events at McDonald Jones stadium, you are unable to turn right during those times, when not closed the turning lane allows approx 4 cars, therefore the extra traffic will create heavy traffic congestion on a major road artery to many suburbs. 500 extra cars per hour is heavy and will have a major impact on traffic congestion and safety near a school.
The proposal of 900 spots at McDonald Jones Stadium is inaccurate as events are held at McDonald Jones stadium outside of sporting events, business also uses the events spaces daily and car parks are continuously used now. Meaning the full allocation is not available to the proposed stadium. The study on traffic and parking is limited and tokenistic.
I am a resident and parking and driving in my street is impossible when events at McDonald Jones stadium are on. All of the side streets turn into one way streets as when cars are parked either side as they are not wide enough. When the entire street is filled with cars you can get to the middle of the street and cars coming in either direction have no where to go as you can't view it from the start of the street. Increased moments when streets are at capacity will potentially increase traffic incidents and detrimentally impact residents and their safety both as pedestrians , cyclists and in cars. These streets were not assessed as part of the parking report or traffic report

Community Consultation

Other than two invitations to meetings at the school I have not been contacted or advised of consultation opportunities. There has been limited consultation with residents or businesses and certainly not to the level that should be conducted for this type of development.
I object to this application based on the limited attempt at doing thorough flood assessments, traffic assessments on all impacted roads and streets and poor consultation.
Funding is also not guaranteed for the full application if the basketball fall short the destruction of public space could be in vein.
Sporting ovals are a premium in our LGA and with the project growth of the broadmeadow precinct alone to be another 40 000 people over 30 years we need these ovals to remain. You can't get this space back when 40 000 more people need to play sport in the area. Right now multiple sports and recreational activities can happen on these ovals and reducing it to one activity is not in the best interest of the community

A new site should be determined that can meet both the needs of basketball and the community.

I am objecting to the loss of this public greenspace. This greenspace is presently enjoyed my numerous different sections of the community such as soccer players, cricketers, kids playing and dog owners. The area is also very important for Lambton high school for sport, PHPE and use for emergency evacuations.
These ovals also play an integral role in absorbing rain water and slowing runoff. Building on these ovals will increase runoff and put additional pressure on drainage systems that already do not cope. In 2007 these fields and the neighbouring houses were covered in almost one metre of water. Insurance companies already mark this area as a flood zone.
As someone who regularly uses the streets around the ovals to leave our suburb, already on a normal day exiting and entering off Turton road is challenging with the amount of traffic that use Turton road. On days when there is an event at the McDonald Jones stadium access to roads are blocked off and detours are required. The building of the basketball stadium a nd the associated increase in traffic will further exacerbate a traffic system that already doesn't cope.
The area of BROADMEADOW is being changed to high density building with a projected increase of thousands of people living in this area. With this in mind the retaing of greenspace for children to play and people to exercise becomes even more important.
Please i imploe you to further investigate this proposal with the hope this greenspace will be retained for generations to come to enjoy

I object to the chosen location.
* my kids attend the adjacent high school. It has very little green space and they use the field everyday for sport. The school catchment will only grow with proposals of increased density.
* The oval is used regularly for soccer, cricket & the general public.
* The traffic situation would be diabolical for both attendees and the local community.
* These fields are very popular with the community for walking and recreation.
* ovals can never be replaced.
* The quoted usage stats used by council in the submissions were fabricated. The field wasn’t mowed by council for 8-9 months around this period and a little thing called covid.
* surrounding drains will not be able to cope.

Exploring other sites for the new basketball stadium puts significant risk of having nowhere to play basketball in 2028. We cannot do this to young people. Therefore, I am strongly in favour for progressing with the current plans for developing an indoor sports facility at Waratah Oval.

Permanent loss of green space
Newcastle is the second largest city in NSW & growing at a rapid rate. Both government & developers are leaning toward high density housing. This results in instant population growth &, if green space is provided, is only in the form of small playgrounds or parks.

The loss of these well-used ovals in a residential area would be an irreversible loss to the community – both sporting & residential. With an increasing population it makes no sense to displace thousands of high school students, primary school students, soccer & cricket players, & residents for the sake, predominantly, of one sport (basketball).

Area Discrepancy
Lots 2378, 2379 & 2380 DP755247 total 2.433ha. The unidentified strip below these Lots does not have an area. At the foot of page 34 of the EIS the total area of development is quoted as 7.83ha. This requires urgent clarification, as more than doubling the area of development could have an impact on the opinions of many interested parties.

Unidentified Land
Page 35 of EIS refers to "a currently untitled strip of land to the south of the lots". A historic land status report should be provided for this land & verified by the Crown Lands Status Section. The parcel gives the appearance of an unconstructed public road. If it is road reserve, it would require closure under the Roads Act 1993, and first title being created prior to any development. There are also limitations on how close you can build to a road reserve.

Loss to students
For 50 years the adjoining Lambton High School (LHS) has used the ovals for physical fitness, sport & emergency evacuation. LHS leases the ovals from City of Newcastle (CoN) for the use of their more than 1,200 students. With an expected population increase of 40,000 in the Hunter Park/Broadmeadow Precinct, most high school students will be zoned for LHS.

New Lambton Primary School (NLPS) is almost one kilometre from the application site. NLPS does not have ANY green space. It is entirely concrete & the more than 600 students frequently use these 3 ovals for sport & recreation, especially athletics.

NLPS students are zoned for LHS. For those students of NLPS (which includes my two grandsons) to spend their entire 13 years at school with no green space for play & sport would be a travesty. The importance of open green space is well recorded for human health & well-being, especially children & young adults. My 10 year old grandson plays sport all year round & lives one block from LHS, in Womboin Rd. He is adamant he will not go to LHS if it has no playing fields.

Flood risk
Page 39 of the EIS, 3.2.3. Landscape and Public Domain refers to the site’s previous existence as a wetland. This emphasises that the ovals already act as water catchment for run-off. Rainwater tanks will be unable to capture all runoff from a building of this industrial scale. Overflow is to be directed into stormwater pits & 2 small gardens. Stormwater from the carparks will be directed to the existing stormwater channel which has experienced major flooding in the past without the additional run-off from large scale development.

In 2007, buildings immediately south of the three ovals (an area bounded by Monash, Turton, Hobart & Wallarah Rds) all flooded. Many were inundated with water almost 1.4m inside their homes. New owners in this vicinity find it difficult to get house insurance, whilst existing owners see their insurance premiums rise astronomically each year. A landowner in Hobart Rd recently built on their land. They had to have bearers & joists as CoN declared their land “flood storage”.

The existing green space captures rainwater. It slows any run-off & allows for excess water to enter the stormwater channel. The application states bollards erected on the southern side of the basketball carpark will prevent vehicles being washed into this channel during major weather events. The report states that patrons’ vehicles should be moved to higher ground (on Womboin Rd) in major weather events & that patrons in the stadium should move upstairs. As I understand it, “moving upstairs” will only be possible after Stage 2 is complete.

This development IS going to further exacerbate flooding of the stormwater channel & put at risk both patrons & the residents who live immediately south of the channel.

Traffic
Page 11 of the Traffic Impact Assessment states that Turton Road “carries a high volume of traffic especially during traditional commuter peaks”. It states the peak period for patrons entering & exiting the complex will be between 4pm & 8pm. This is a peak traffic period for Turton Rd on weekdays. This will compound the existing traffic snarls in end of workday peak periods. Two busy northbound lanes of traffic in Turton Rd will be greatly affected by vehicles in the left hand lane slowing & entering the complex. The opportunity for vehicles to efficiently exit the complex onto Turton Rd in these periods will be difficult, as the traffic flow is constant.

60 metres north of the boundary of Lot 2380 are traffic lights at the intersection of Turton & Young Rds. Immediately on the northern boundary of Lot 2380 are 2 large blocks of 20 residential units. Their driveway is approximately 50 metres north of the proposed development. It is difficult enough for these residents to exit their property without adding hundreds more vehicles entering Turton Rd immediately on their southern boundary. Traffic snarls here will be a major issue for motorists & residents.

All patrons coming from north, north-west or north-east of the proposed development will be unable to enter it southbound from Turton Rd. They will need to negotiate residential streets such as Young, Womboin, Durham, Wallarah & Monash Rds, all of which front houses in residential zones. Wallarah Rd is a busy thoroughfare, especially from 3pm when workers from the industrial area to the north, LHS students & teachers start leaving school, & the local sports fields start filling up with players. Should basketball patrons be coming from the north on days when there is an event at MJS, they will find that Young Rd is closed to all traffic. That will require them to continue on down Turton Rd, turn right onto Lambton Rd & then try to find a park in the local residential streets near the proposed development.

The Traffic Impact Assessment is an “estimate based on logical judgement” (page 5). It refers to cameras producing poor quality videos; limited camera coverage of Turn Rd north AND Turton Rd south; camera being set at the wrong angle at BOTH Young Rd west & Lambton Rd east; & limitations of camera set-up on both Bridges Rd south & Lambton Rd west. How does this result in a professional, factual assessment of traffic impacts?

Parking
The applicant refers to utilising 900 existing parking spaces in the McDonald Jones Stadium (MJS) carpark. State Government has released the Hunter Park/Broadmeadow Precinct plans. These plans show the 900 carparks will be rezoned commercial & removed for high-rise development. Even if Hunter Park did not commence for several years, it would be erroneous to grant development consent to the complex based on the knowledge that parking currently available would not exist in the near future.

All players are required to arrive prior to their games commencing. The vehicles used by patrons currently on court will then double in number for approximately 30 minutes every game (at each end of a game). As is current practice during any major event at MJS, passengers will likely disembark from vehicles on roadways whilst the driver continues to seek a parking space. This poses a huge risk to pedestrians.

On Saturday 19/10/24 there was a Newcastle Jets soccer game at MJS. Patrons had parked all around the application site. The attendance, as evidenced in Attachment A, was only 8,032. A capacity crowd at MJS is 33,000. When the Newcastle Knights NRL team plays, the attendance is often 25,000 & above. At 25% capacity on 19/10/24, our residential streets were completely parked out, as supported by the photos in Attachment B.

There were 16 Knights home games in MJS in 2024 & 14 Newcastle Jets home games scheduled for this 2024 season. 30 weekends out of every 52, our streets are parked out. This doesn’t consider any of the special events at MJS or the adjacent Newcastle International Hockey Centre. Hockey games are played throughout the year, weeknights & weekends, & there is limited parking available for patrons. Those patrons often park in our narrow residential streets.

To add a major sports complex with insufficient parking & report that it will have minimal effect on residents is totally unrealistic.

Newcastle public transport that does run is limited by both route & time, less frequent at night & weekends, & not highly patronised.

75 minutes prior to the Jets home game commencing on Saturday 19/10/24, I walked the residential streets shown in Attachment A. I photographed every street & they are labelled Attachment B. Unless the decision makers attend our suburb during a MJS event, they will have no idea of the impact on residents.

Consultation
Our Womboin Rd home (between Wallarah & Orlando Rds) received no notification of the proposal until receiving a letter from Dpt of Planning 2 weeks ago. We are one street block away from the proposed site, & our house fronts the continuing green corridor of ovals. The residents of 20 units adjoining the northern boundary of the proposed development were never notified. We found out about the development in March 2024 when alerted to a Facebook group called “Save Our Lambton Ovals”.

Page 20 of the EIS cites the positive & supportive “outcomes of the community and stakeholder engagement”. I object to the inference that residents are not community nor stakeholders. The complete lack of consultation nor engagement with the residential community does not comply with the requirements to lodge this development application.

This land is not suitable. It is currently utilized by a number of sporting clubs, schools and the neighborhood. There is also massive traffic congestion in the surrounding streets when there is and event on at McDonald Jones Stadium or simultaneous events at the stadium and the Newcastle International Hockey Centre. The parking allowed for us simply not enough and the narrow streets will become congested also

See attached document outlining my objection to this project

I grew up playing and refereeing basketball at Newcastle Basketball and so did my whole family. I worked at the organisation for a few years and watched as it has slowly deteriorated as it has gotten older. I no longer live and play in newcastle but have fond memories at the stadium and wish the association to have a space to grow into for the years to come.

To Whom it May Concern,
I wish to declare my objection to the Hunter Indoor Sports Centre (HISC) at the proposed site Blackley and Wallarah Ovals New Lambton.
Firstly, I refer to Appendix D -Engagement Summary Table of the EIS Stakeholder The relevant community specifically surrounding local landowners. I have a residential property within 950 metres of the proposed site, I have lived in the suburb of Lambton for 24 years. I refute the EIS claim of community engagement there has been no attempts made to engage with myself as a landowner. I initiated contact with City of Newcastle - Local Government Ward representatives and State Elected official Sonia Honnery. Only one representative Katrina Wark made a prompt written and verbal replay to discuss my concerns regarding lack of consultation. Those affiliated with the current elected state government remained muted on the HISC proposal.
Secondly, I object to the HSIC due the traffic and parking impact on local residents and road networks which are currently not coping with peak congestion particularly when sporting events of multiple codes occur on the one day. The road network around this site is not equipped to cope with additional volume and the hours of operation proposed 7am -1 0pm also results in additional traffic noise on the road network. In the EIS Appendix P section 2.4.4 Vehicle Speeds - no speed surveys have been completed as part of this study work- can I bring to your attention we have a local school in close proximity to this HSIC and high pedestrian traffic, yet this has not been considered. As a long time resident of the area - Young Road is often seen as a short cut to avoid Griffiths Road and there is definite speeding occurring. I object to further traffic being directed up young road and surrounding residential streets in the proposed traffic flow redirection. They are narrow enough now and not equipped to cope with an increased volume 7am - 10pm 7 days a week.
Inadequate parking only 240 formal spaces for 12 courts with drop off spaces will have the potential to cause a backlog of traffic. The average basketball game when I had one of my children playing for many years goes for 42 minutes with significant overlap as teams come and go for games. With 12 players often in a team with 12 courts - spectators' grandparents, parents, friends attending this does not meet demand and will see a flow on to residential streets. How will 240 formal spaces cope when a top-level event may be on at the HISC?
In addition, my objection is based on the disruption to local sporting teams and the sense of community spirit. I do not have an affiliation to any local sporting codes however disrupting local community teams across multiple codes and moving them to training facilities more than 30 minutes on a good day to the outskirts of the LGA is not acceptable.
My objection is also based on the green space being lost to the community including the local high school and the impact on health and wellbeing. My understanding is the space was also the emergency evacuation point for over 1200 students, what is the alternative?
In my 24 years of living in this area I have also seen this area flash flood on many occasions it is a flood plain, houses have been flooded directly across from these ovals. The ovals currently absorb some of this flash flooding, where will this water now go?
Lastly, I acknowledge a new basketball stadium (HSIC) is needed in the Hunter however this is not the site. It

I wish to express support for this project. This will give residents of the Hunter a higher quality sport venue.

I STRONGLY OBJECT to the current area of the proposed HISC at Wallarah and Blackley ovals. I am not opposed to the development of a new stadium and facilities, however am opposed to the location. I have lived in New Lambton for sometime and living directly opposite this new development would greatly impact me. Living less than 30 meters from this proposed new development, at no time was I contacted or my feedback requested for the proposal. As one of the closest owning residents to this proposal I can't help but feel gutted by the lack of transparency and lack of consideration for local residents. At no point was I ever contacted or sought how this proposal would impact the closest residents.

I currently work within emergency services and a shift worker and believed New Lambton to be a great place to raise a family due to the young family community and the amount of green spaces for kids to use, not only for structured sporting groups but unstructured, to which is not being considered and no mention being made.

Another consideration is traffic congestion. There is already lengthy transport delays on Turton Rd during traffic peak hours and local events held at the McDonald Jones stadiums. Building a proposed 12 Court indoor building stealing the limited and valuable green space that is increasingly getting smaller and smaller within the broader Newcastle Area. Parking being offered at McDonald Jones stadium isn't satisfactory as simply crossing the road requiring the Cars to constantly stop on a main thoroughfare for novacastrians is a huge oversight! I don't believe there has been any consideration or genuine data gathering in how this would impact local traffic through Broadmeadow and up to Lambton and Kotara.

What I feel is not being considered, is the 2050 Plan for Broadmeadow to greatly increase the number of residence whilst at the same time minimising nearby Green Spaces. Where are the new residents in 2050 supposed to find local green spaces once everything is taken up with concrete. There is also Environmental and global warming impact of needing increased green space to absorb heat and carbon dioxide within the city of Newcastle. The planned resident increase would greatly impact the traffic situation which would require serious consideration and planning.

I am not opposed the development of a new stadium, It just needs to built somewhere that doesn't steal valuable green space.
I DO NOT believe that building on green space is a good thing for Newcastle, the environment and the community of Newcastle as a whole. There must be a better alternative to the location to benefit all of Newcastle.

I actually believe that local government can have the gumption to make a decision that doesn't constantly favour concrete over natural green space. Do the right thing for Newcastle and the environment! DO NOT build in Wallarah and Blackley Oval.

I am writing in support of the planned Newcastle Basketball Stadium development in the Sports Precinct at Broadmeadow opposite McDonald Jones Stadium. This is an important component of the local and regional sports strategy that is desperately overdue. Basketball in Newcastle has been under-resourced, despite huge popularity, and the current facilities are completely
inadequate. It would be a great pity to lose momentum on this sport that has wide health, community and social benefits.
A key consideration in the decision is the efficient use of land. Basketball is an all-weather, day and night activity, with a high usage density. This means that this land would be used by the largest number of people, for the most time of the day and night of any commonly played sport in Newcastle. While there are widespread soccer and cricket fields throughout the Newcastle area, basketball only has 6 (mostly under-sized) courts at the current stadium, with ad-hoc courts in use at Gateshead and Macquarie College. As you are aware, the current stadium is slated for demolition and if the new stadium is delayed further, there will be a worrying lack of facilities for basketball in Newcastle that would likely be irrevocable and lead to the sport declining to minimal levels.
A central stadium in this location will complement existing facilities and fit within the sporting precinct strategy and the planned greater Broadmeadow redevelopment. I am a basketball player, as is my son. I watch the Newcastle Falcons play in the NBL1 league and would dearly love to see them enter the NBL, as befits a town such as Newcastle. This stadium will help elevate the status of basketball in the region with the potential for greater representation on a national level. I am also a resident of the local area and my children attend Lambton High, which has potential to benefit from this indoor sports centre next door for school activities.
I understand that this is a NSW state decision. There is great community support for this stadium in this location, for many good reasons. Further delay is to the detriment of the City of Newcastle. This stadium will deliver economic, social and health benefits within the region and should be built as a matter of priority.

I object to the proposed construction of a basketball stadium on Wallarah and Blackley Ovals.
I am 13 years old and a student at Lambton High School. I use the ovals at recess and lunchtime every day to play soccer, touch footy, and to run around. Without these ovals my school does not have a playground. It is not just about a place for pe and sport. We do not have enough space to play without these ovals.
We do use these ovals for sport and pe as well. Lots of people who support the development say we can just walk to another oval in our suburb. We could do this but why should we have too when we have our ovals with direct access to school. It is a lot more work for the teachers to take us out of school for sport and pe and we don't get as much time for these lessons compared to walking out the gate to the ovals.
I also play soccer and cricket on these ovals on a weekend. I can walk to training when mum is at work. They are saying my soccer training will be moved to Tarro which is heaps away. I won't be able to walk there and mum can't take me because she is at work. I won't be able to play soccer on the weekend if I can't get to training.
Also, last weekend I played cricket at Stockton which is 40 minutes away. The game was Western Suburbs (New Lambton) v Newcastle City. We had to go that far for our game because there were no available grounds closer! These ovals are one of the home grounds of Western Suburbs Junior Cricket. 3 games can fit on these ovals in the morning for junior cricket and 2 in the afternoon for senior cricket. What will we do if we don't have these ovals? Lots of kids won't be able to play cricket.
Please save our ovals. They are so important to so many people. We can build a basketball stadium anywhere but once our ovals have gone we can't get them back and so many kids (and adults) are going to be affected.

I strongly object to this development.
The ovals that are proposed for this development are unsuitable.
The ovals are a much needed green space for the well being of the community, which includes recreation & exercise.
Lambton High School frequents the ovals for sport, recreation & their emergency area. There are 1200 students. Where are they to go if the ovals are not available?
Flooding is a very real presence for the local community in heavy rain, some residents have not been able to insure their homes, & others have had quotes of $14,000!
It is well known to locals that from Lambton through to Broadmeadow is a swamp.
If this development gets approval who are the local residents to sue, the state government or the Basketball association, or both!
Parking is already a huge problem for the local residents. The ovals are opposite McDonald Jones stadium, home of the Newcastle Knights. Some roads are blocked off during games, people attending park their cars in front of driveways making it impossible for residents to get in & out of their properties. By building another sporting facility across the road will increase the problem for the already burden residents.
We then have traffic coming & going increasing already congested roads. Noise from more vehicles, people etc. Lighting that will come on at night with any slight movement would also impact local residents.
The ovals are also a local habitat for many birds that forage. The trees are also a resting place at night for our local flying foxes.
There are many other disused areas of land that for one reason or another can not be used as a green space & would be well suited to be covered in concrete for a basketball stadium.
I feel that the whole concept of building so many sporting facilities close to each other is a nightmare, which causes lots of issues for local residents & spectators.
Sports should be spread over different parts of the local government area, taking pressure off one area & spreading it across numerous suburbs. The idea of placing all sports in one area is just ludicrous. No planning has gone into the whole process.
Also I have not mentioned the local sporting groups that use these ovals for practice & games.
The former Lord Mayor thought it would be a good idea to send these local sporting groups & families all the way over to Beresfield & Tarro for practice & games. The travel time there would be 30mins either way in good traffic conditions which never happens with peak hour, road works etc. This also adds more cost of living pressure, time pressure & more pollution to our environment.
Better planning needs to happen in the local government area when it comes to sporting facilities. Locals need to have input & actually be listened too, after all they know the area better then anyone!
Thank you for your assistance in this most important decision.
Tammy Russell.

This facility is vital for the growth and development of community indoor sports in the region. It will be a multi sport, multi purpose facility and offer diversity for all ages, genders and sporting ability. It is long overdue and a necessary space moving forward in the region

I wish to submit my strong objection to this sports centre being built on this location. My son plays basketball, and I am very aware of the need for a new stadium. However, these ovals are NOT the right location for several reasons.
LOSS OF GREEN SPACE
Three mornings a week I attend an early morning outdoor fitness class with Corefit Newcastle. We meet on the basketball courts at Lambton High and look out over the ovals. I see these ovals being used each morning by people walking, walking dogs, kicking balls and playing. Living locally, I also regularly see them being used by Lambton High School, sporting teams for training and games and other community events. Once this green space is gone it is gone forever. Green spaces within cities are precious resources and contribute to health and wellbeing.
TRAFFIC AND PARKING
I have several friends who live in the vicinity of the ovals. It is a nightmare to get in or out of their houses when there is something happening at the stadium. The proposed sports stadium only contains 220 car parks, yet it is predicted that during peak times there could be upwards of 500 people in attendance. These residential streets will struggle with so many cars trying to park in them. The plan for overspill parking to be at the football stadium will not work as there are regularly games where that won’t be possible, and they are talking about having up to 15 extra major events there on top of the regular Knights and Jets matches.
FLOODING
I am concerned for the residents who live nearby when there is heavy rain. I have seen that area flood numerous times over the years, and this situation will be made worse without grass to soak it up. I know some residents are struggling to find an insurance company who will insure them in that area and the cost of their premiums could rise significantly.
UNDER FUNDED
I am concerned that the basketball association simply doesn’t have the funds that it needs to build the kind of stadium that they are proposing. They have $30 million, yet $90 million is required to complete the full scope of the works in this location. It is not good enough to complete a partial build.

That land should be use for something that will benefit the people from New Lambton. Something we can go to/use like a park with a playground. We are not interested in basketball. It is not going to bring anything positive to us. But instead, it will ruin a nice piece of green land/nature that we have.

Please see the attached document that details why I am opposed to this development.

Thank you.

This is outrageous. Not only is this a public field for countless community sporting teams but THE ONLY field for sporting activities for Lambton High School. The impact the removal of this facility will have on the current and future kids should already be enough to put a stop to it. All their physical activity is carried out on this field and is known to all students and teachers past and present as 'the back field'. It's apart of Lambton High and has been for a long time. Physical education is a vital part of schooling life and for someone to come in and say they want to take that away from our kids for some more concrete is an absolute crime! This facility needs a different location end of story. The majority of Lambton High school kids, their families and friends aswell as the local community do not want this eye sore replacing an already great recreational area. Take it elsewhere, somewhere it won't have a negative impact on over 1,000 school kids and their families. You wouldn't go and build it on a location that might impose a risk to some animal species so why are our children not given them same rights. Kids not concrete.