Hunter Indoor Sports Centre (HISC)

I think it is fabulous for the unserved basketball community in Newcastle

This is a waste of space and funds, just use the current facilities

I object on the basis of numerous points:
1. The safety of Lambton High School students and faculty. The location is not only used daily by the students it is also the evacuation point. Lambton High has an additional needs unit and therefore consideration to the safety of those students in particular.
2. Traffic congestion within the area is already extremely overrun, never mind the resources and costs involved on many event days through portable signage, police and additional security/traffic control. HISC in addition to the hockey and McDonald Jones stadium would not improve this.
3. Green spaces - please keep them! As a mum to young children, our opportunity to find affordable homes which have outdoor spaces suited to ‘kids being kids’ is dwindling. This results in more indoor time and poorer health outcomes. We use multiple green spaces a day - they must be protected.

Completely short-sighted project. Residents are already very adversely affected by proximity to a High School, the Hockey Grounds and the Stadium. Often driveways are blocked by cars parked while drivers attend games/concerts etc. Family and friends are unable to visit during events. Apart from this the loss of green areas in such a heavy populated area is to be deplored. The grounds are all extensively used at present. It is also a safety issue for the students/staff at Lambton High School as the proposed area is the emergency evacuation point and there are no other suitable locations for this. It is also the only area the school can use for outdoor activities by students. There are other more suitable locations - including the proposed Broadmeadow Sport Precinct and the existing site - surely basketball, as a sport, takes precedence over proposed housing. Yes there is a housing shortage, but be deleting green space what type of lifestyle would families moving into these units have?

Basketball is a growing sport in Australia. International leagues have been popular for many years and we are now witnessing growth in the NBL and WNBL and more and more Australian players being exported to world-first leagues like the NBA and WNBA.

Most basketball facilities in Australia are confined to large capital cities like Sydney and Melbourne, which means that Hunter residents and youth need to travel to utilise these facilities in order to support their development as players. The HISC will provide more opportunities to young players and their families to advance in the sport of basketball and is a natural progression for Newcastle as a sporting community. The HISC will potentially open up doors for Newcastle to one day have its own NBL and WNBL team as the sport continues to grow in the Hunter.

Many people believe that by building the HISC, grass based sports will suffer, however the loss of one or two sporting fields is unlikely to come at the detriment to outdoor sporting pursuits. A quick scan of google maps will demonstrate a myriad of other green fields in the area and reorganising these sports is a question of administrative ability in the youth leagues rather than inability.

Many have questioned the capacity of the area to accommodate large quantities of people at times of major events, my response to this is to simply look across the road and ask what we do when the Newcastle Knights sell out a stadium.

In supporting this project, I am asking that we not let semantics, dummy spitting and laziness get in the way of accelerating the sport of basketball for youth in Newcastle.

This facility is not only for the Newcastle area but a lot of surrounding areas! The ovals where it is proposed to be built on is surrounded by plenty of other ovals and green space and is under utilised! If it rains it can’t be used either! The flood mitigation proposed would stop flooding of that area! The sports centre would be used most days for various sports! I don’t feel parking would be that much of a problem as you could park across the road at the football stadium as football games would rarely clash with basketball games! Also most people would only be at the centre for an hour for a game and then leave! The centre would be close to public transport as well!

This project is critical to the region's growth, as there is a significant gap in indoor facilities for a city of this size.

As a resident of New Lambton, I have witnessed the under-utilisation of the land proposed for this development and believe that the whole community would benefit from this proposal.

Hi I object to the new basketball stadium being built in Newcastle as it is in a bad location and damaging to wildlife and native areas

This is one of the worst development proposals in this city’s history. There are not enough green spaces for outdoor sports such as soccer, rugby league and cricket as it is. And the ones we do have are in poor condition, lack proper drainage and change room facilities. I am all in favour of a new basketball facility but not at the expense of publicly accessible open green spaces. There are so many under utilised industrial spaces, and run down buildings in the city that could be used for such a facility. It’s not fair that local sporting clubs and kids across multiple sports should lose their facility for this poorly planned and ill considered development.

This is very much needed for the basketball community.

I am a local resident in the surrounding streets of the proposed project and I strongly object to the project on multiple grounds as per below.

- Major residential traffic chaos. The stadium is to be built amongst residential houses which are already beyond full many weeks of the year due to McDonald Jones Stadium being located across the road. Adding in another stadium and courts, resulting in an even high increase of road traffic and foot traffic raises many concerns. The safety of local residents, even more cars continually circling the streets for parking in streets that are jam packed with cars already. The area has many young families posing a safety risk to young children especially.

- Flood risk. The area is a known major flood zone with local residents on alert whenever there is a major downpour. Taking away green space which serves as significant drainage is of major concern.

- Emergency risk. Surrounding streets are very narrow streets. When streets are full with cars parked either side of the road. During McDonald Jones Stadium events, I highly doubt a fire truck would be able to drive through the narrow surrounding streets or turn into streets to attend to an emergency during these events. Adding in the stadium and courts means significant increase of time periods where emergency response capabilities are at risk.

- Built next to Lambton High School: The fields which are to be taken away are used by Lambton High School very frequently. Taking away the fields leaves the school with no green space.

Project build cost: The project is to cost $90 million. Basketball only have approx $30 million for the project in funding, where will the remaining $60 million come from? A project which poses many risks and doubts has the high probability once started to be left incomplete. A project which could possibly be left 1/3 complete.

The project is opposed by the current Lord Mayor and many councillors. The site is not a suitable spot for the project.

We need to protect our green spaces . Too much traffic and the basketball stadium will impact on Lambton high school . We need another location for a much needed basketball stadium

I am have been a playing or Scorebench official most of my life - for at least 38 years Newcastle Basketball Stadium has almost been my second home. In all that time, it has always had issues with roof leaks. It’s time for the Hunter to have its own new stadium where WNBL games can be held. A state of the art purpose built facility that helps our athletes strive for excellence in a facility they can be proud of…for this generation and many more to come.

The project will take valued green space currently used by the community.
New Lampton high school incorporate the ground in it’s perimeter for sport and breaks. The area was gazetted for the school’s use due to the limited footprint of the school.
Local sports teams home grounds in cricket , soccer and union have been offered alternative grounds Ks away from the players residences. Some of these players are juniors and the proposed options would eliminate their opportunity to train and play.
The area has a history of flooding which is now affecting residential insurance, covering the ground will increase the risk of flooding.
Parking for the football stadium currently overwhelms the local streets and traffic congestion will be very problematic and dangerous.
The costing of close to $90Million is unrealistic for the organisation to raise and will leave the project uncompleted if commenced. Initially the cost mentioned was $25M
The high handed manner the proposal has been put to the community and then denied consultation was offensive and contributed to the loss of the Mayor Nelmes position in the recent election. Labour has had support in this district and many of the residents will continue to object if this project is imposed on them.
The area is shared by an active community and is constantly in use. I object to locals being pushed off this much needed green space in a built up area.

The playing fields are used by multiple sporting organisations, Lambton High School as well as passive recreation space. The area is also low lying and subject to flooding with the adjoining road very busy especially when events are on at the nearby stadium. The green space should not be sacrificed for this proposed development. Surely there could be an alternate location that didn’t involve using the precious little green space in the area. Perhaps the nearby Newcastle Council depot or Showgrounds space could be used.

This stadium is so overdue and so needed, especially for the young people of Newcastle.

All 3 of my son’s started their basketball journeys at Newcastle and were so lucky to be able to get into teams early as so many others miss out.

I’ve seen the considerable benefit to my own children and so many others from being able to play social and representative basketball.

I just wished we had a proper, larger stadium so more children could enjoy the health and social benefits of basketball.

My sons all played soccer for almost 10 years (they all started as toddlers) and while I completely understand the resistance from the soccer clubs, I think it is so unfortunate. Those fields are so poorly drained they are often unusable and while soccer is also a great sport (as it cricket, albeit a ‘dying’ sport), the reality is that space is scare and the utility per square metre of the area being used for basketball and other high-density indoor sports such as pickleball is considerably higher per hour, especially as they can be played during the day for various age groups.

Of course we all wish there was unlimited land and money, but I truly believe the best use of that space is for an indoor sports.

Please invest in the tens of thousands of children who will learn and grow in that facility over the next generation.

Wrong location, find some where else, moving current sporting teams at this location to another location is ludicrous. Also just going to create a major traffic issues.

In support of the development

I am writing to formally object to the proposed Hunter Indoor Sports Centre development (SSD-65595459) at Wallarah and Blackley Ovals. While I understand the value of indoor sports facilities for our community, I have significant concerns about the environmental, social, and infrastructural impact of this development. I appreciate the opportunity to express my thoughts as part of the consultation process.

1. Loss of Green Space: One of my primary concerns is the substantial loss of green space in the proposed development area. Wallarah and Blackley Ovals are valuable community assets that provide open, accessible spaces for recreation, relaxation, and community gatherings. Replacing these green areas with large indoor facilities will greatly reduce the availability of natural spaces for local residents, particularly families and children who rely on open areas for outdoor activities.

2. Traffic and Parking Congestion: The inclusion of 12 indoor basketball courts and a show court with a seating capacity for 2,500 people will likely lead to significant traffic increases in the area. The current road infrastructure surrounding the ovals may not be sufficient to handle the expected influx of vehicles during large events. This could result in frequent congestion, increased noise levels, and potential safety hazards for pedestrians and local residents. Furthermore, the proposed parking facilities may not be adequate for large events, potentially leading to overflow parking in nearby residential areas, negatively affecting local residents.

3. Environmental Impact: The Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) must be rigorously reviewed to ensure that the development does not have negative long-term environmental consequences. The construction of such a large facility will inevitably lead to increased pollution, including noise pollution and air quality issues from construction and increased traffic. It’s essential that any potential damage to local ecosystems, including tree removal and habitat destruction, is mitigated.

4. Inadequate Community Consultation: While the project is now open for public feedback, there has been insufficient consultation with the local community prior to the exhibition of this plan. Many residents are only now learning about the scale and scope of this development. I believe more efforts should be made to directly involve and inform the community throughout the planning stages to ensure that all voices are heard, and the project can be adjusted to better meet the community’s needs.

5. Scale of the Project: The sheer scale of the proposed Hunter Indoor Sports Centre seems disproportionate to the needs of our local community. A 2,500-seat show court and multiple indoor courts suggest that this facility is being developed with a regional or even state-level focus, rather than for local use. This raises concerns about whether the project is truly serving the needs of Newcastle residents, or if it is catering to larger events and visitors from outside our community, potentially at the expense of local amenities and green spaces.

Conclusion: I believe this project in its current form will have a negative impact on local residents, the environment, and the character of our neighborhood. I urge the planning department to reconsider the scale of the project, prioritize the preservation of green spaces, and take stronger measures to address the concerns raised by the community.

I respectfully request that these issues be thoroughly reviewed, and that alternative solutions be explored to balance the benefits of new sports facilities with the needs of the local community.

Thank you for considering my submission.

Kind regards,
Katarina Nikolovski
Local resident

It is sad to see a large green area disappear, where birds fly over, and local residents take their kids to run around, even I've seen man throw ball for his dog when I've driven past (not sure if dogs are allowed but waa good to see the activity).
The existing Basketball stadium building is old, the car park ground is rubble, and there is a vacant area neighbouring it just grass and gravel.
Logically, from a civilian perspective, why couldn't the existing basket ball stadium and surroundings be demolished and these new courts, and stadium build there. With fast food and rail station closer by, great location to take family out to dinner and watch a game, especially if NBL would be played there. Use aged and rubble land instead of ripping up lush open green spaces in society.