Hunter Indoor Sports Centre (HISC)

I support the new stadium as a person who understands how important public sporting facilities are to all members of the community - elite sportspeople, families, occasional participants and people looking for ways to connect to their community.

I have viewed the proposed new stadium and see that it will be a great addition to Newcastle sporting facilities as well as local club-based competitions.

The existing stadium is 60+ years old and no longer fit for purpose. It is too small, some courts are not regulation lengths and it doesn't have enough seating. The current stadium roof leaks when it rains. I know that parents mop up wet floors to keep kids safe when participating in games. I also know they have had matches cancelled because of water on the court.

Basketball is a very popular sport, and I understand that there are not enough courts at the current stadium. A percentage of registration fees go towards court hire at other venues to accommodate the number of players wanting to participate. Those fees could be better spent encouraging more people to participate and developing players.

The new stadium will be a facility to be proud of. It is what a city the size of Newcastle should have - accessible, contemporary, to international standards, sustainable and inclusive. A new indoor sport facility will mean that Newcastle can host international events as well as local club-based competitions and activities in many different sports. It will add to the existing sporting precinct comprising the McDonald Jones Stadium, the Newcastle International Hockey Centre, a swimming complex with diving and water polo pools and other ovals and cricket pitches.

It will be just as important to the amateur, trying out a new sport, making friends, attending events and activities. It is located so that it is easy to get to - near bus routes, a train station. It has accessible parking and entry points, lifts and facilities. Its close proximity to several schools with relatively small school grounds will make it an all-weather option for weekly sports afternoons.

A family friend has a teenaged son who spends all of his extra time at the stadium and is learning to referee and coach as well as playing representative basketball. The new stadium will be safer - with better lighting, bike path access, and safe drop off points. Families will know that their kids are in a safe and positive place.

It’s time for a new stadium for the thousands of people in the area who use it regularly. The proposed site is in an excellent position for the Newcastle area to access and close to other sporting venues which makes it a super sporting precinct.

We need better sporting facilities in Newcastle, especially a Basketball stadium that can be used for local and national competitions. It would be great to see one centre to cater for multiple games at one time.

This is an incredibly irresponsible use of land in that area. It adversely affects redidents of the area and student and staff at the nearby school(which my children attend) Newcastle does not need more elite sporting facilities, it needs third spaces like parks and paths to be shared by ALL ppl, not just those who play elite sports. Absolute madness this project has got this far.

I strongly oppose building a basketball stadium on the school’s green space. This area is not just grass — it is a place where all students can play, relax, connect with friends, and enjoy nature. It benefits every child, every day, not just a select group.

Replacing it with a stadium takes away an inclusive, flexible space and gives it to one sport. Not every student plays basketball, but every student uses the green space. Once it’s gone, it can’t be replaced.

The project will provide the infrastructure to support basketball in Newcastle and surrounds, which is well overdue for the sheer numbers and ability to develop players from our area.
This indoor sport is heavily affected by postponed games because the courts are wet! I provide full support to the project .

I strongly support the proposed development of the Hunter Indoor Sports Centre. As one of the major cities / regions of Australia it is important that we have a Multi-Sport facility to cater for the needs of the diverse population in this area of the Country.

I support the Hunter Indoor Sports Centre so I do not have to play late of an evening and my children can register and play basketball and volleyball

As a current WNBL player with the Canberra Capitals and a NBL1 Captain for the Newcastle Falcons, I have seen firsthand how vital quality facilities are for both elite athletes and grassroots participants. Unfortunately, the current conditions at Newcastle Basketball Stadium in Broadmeadow are extremely poor. The floors are uneven and slippery, the roof leaks, and the outdated infrastructure poses constant injury risks for athletes. For a community as rich in sporting history as Newcastle, these conditions are simply not acceptable. Soon, we face an even greater challenge - the stadium will no longer be available, leaving us effectively homeless with no safe, reliable place to train or compete.

Newcastle has long been a breeding ground for high-level women’s basketball players, producing athletes who have gone on to play professionally in and for Australia, as well as around the globe. But without proper facilities, it will become harder and harder to sustain that pathway. The Hunter Indoor Sports Centre represents more than just a new building - it’s a lifeline. It will ensure that the next generation of athletes has a safe, inspiring, and professional environment to grow.

This Centre has the potential to be the home that basketball in Newcastle desperately needs, and it opens the door to hosting a WNBL team in our region. Bringing elite women’s basketball to Newcastle would be transformative - not only for athletes but for the entire community. Young girls, in particular, “can’t be what they can’t see.” Having the opportunity to watch top-level professional women’s basketball players compete in their own city would spark belief, ambition, and dreams that could shape their futures both on and off the court.

And it’s not just basketball that will benefit. The Hunter Indoor Sports Centre will be a hub for multiple sports and community groups, giving countless people of all ages and abilities a safe place to play, connect, and belong. Facilities like this are not just about bricks and mortar - they are about creating opportunity, fostering community pride, and ensuring that Newcastle remains a leader in sport for generations to come.

The reality is clear: without the Hunter Indoor Sports Centre, our athletes, coaches, and families will soon be left without a home. With it, we gain not only a world-class venue but also a chance to create legacy, equity, and opportunity across sport in our region.

I object to the construction of the Hunter Indoor Sports Centre on the Wallarah and Blackley Ovals. The site is totally unsuitable.
I believe the proposal has been poorly planned without any community consultation. It has caused serious stress for many local residents, particularly those living in the streets adjacent to the ovals.

My reasons for objection:

* The traffic congestion in the area is already bad. It is exacerbated when the NRL games are played at McDonald Jones stadium. There is inadequate parking and vehicles take over all the surrounding streets. This is also worse when the hockey centre has fixtures as well. The addition of another sports centre will create even more chaos. It was interesting to note that in the original plan for the sports centre it was suggested that vehicles could park at McDonald Jones Stadium if necessary. I believe Venues NSW would not allow this so the current plan for the centre's parking overflow is to just fill the surrounding streets.

* The ovals provide green space which must be preserved, especially in light of the planned Broadmeadow precinct.
The ovals also provide a recreational space for residents and a welcoming environment for local birdlife. The cycle path that crosses
the ovals is well patronised by local families.
These ovals are used by various sporting groups. Why should the Basketball Association be allowed to claim them for their use?
The ovals are also used for outdoor activities by the students of Lambton High School. The revised location of the centre appears to block the access of students and if the need for evacuation in an emergency was to arise the students would have to be taken on foot a number of blocks away to Kentish Oval.

* The ovals also are located next to a drain which regularly fills in periods of heavy rain. The long periods of rain this year have resulted in the ovals being flooded for prolonged periods. I am not confident that the proposed design has adequately addressed flood risk.

* The size of the proposed centre and the hours of operation will impact the well-being of nearby residents and I believe may also
lower the value of their properties.

* I also note that the construction of the Sports Centre on the proposed site is not supported by Sonia Hornery, the State Member for Wallsend, or Ross Kerridge, Lord Mayor of Newcastle.

I would suggest a better location for the proposed facility would be at Glendale near the Hunter Sports Centre.

I support sports in all its forms to ensure our children have safe options to spend their spare time enjoying.

Hunter indoor sports centre

Better court

Better basketball facilities

I myself am a current basketball parent. I don't object to needing a new basketball stadium as they do, I object to where they are wanting it built.
I currently have a child in the support unit and know how valuable the green space is in regulating, burning energy and enjoying sports.
People saying there are ovals around the school to use, yes there is one, but would require permission notes, numerous teachers counting children, and they wouldn't have enough time to do this each recess and lunch break.
So many people say about children not exercising and obesity, some childrens families don't take them of an afternoon or weekend, so the green space behind the school might be the only chance they have to run, kick a ball around with friends.
The fact that severe flooding happens there, even with all the grass should be a no brainer not to build there, even if they put water tanks etc, it still won't be enough.
As we walk to Knights games, we see the beautiful birds accessing the grass and trees. But also as we walk there we see overcrowded streets, with too many illegally parked cars across driveways, to close to the corner and parking where they shouldn't.
People in the surrounding say kilometre can't even park near there houses, as there are no carparks available. Imagine hockey, Nrl, soccer or a concert plus basketball all on together, there would be absolutely no parking. Also considering that the streets get blocked off and detoured for big events and even football, there would be traffic jams and nowhere to park.

Also with the new design, the building would over tower Lambton high, leaving little to no sunshine.
I normally don't object to any plans in the works, but think about if you lived near there, had children at the school you wouldn't want all the green space taken.
What about the old gas works that has sat there for decades, why not build it there? Or rebuild where it is, not everything should be about making money, we really need to think about the best interests of the whole community, not just one sporting code, if you build the stadium where proposed, soccer, cricket, league, school kids, community all miss out on this beautiful green grass.
I really don't even understand how the location was ever though of to build there.
Please listen to the community, most are not against a new stadium, they are against the location.

I grew up in the suburb of New Lambton in 60s & 70s, attended New Lambton Public School, & Tech High and enjoyed mostly unlimited access to the parks, gardens, & sporting ovals in the area. Some of these sporting ovals no longer have access for public use e.g. McDonald Jones Stadium, The Knights Centre of Excellence, The Hockey Centre & others. Wallarah and Blackley Ovals are a couple still with easy public access most of the time, therefore a major asset for the Region needing to be retained as they are. I was fortunate to be able to reach State level representation in Rugby League, athletics and swimming in mid 60s thanks to a large extent to the facilities available like Wallarah and Blackley Ovals.
The flood risk in this area is major, with increased extreme weather events predicted the flood risk will increase. The proposed Basketball development could at times contribute to major flood issues to a considerable number of residents within the area, with possible impacts to Harker Oval.
Another major concern is the increase in motor vehicle traffic movements and parking. I am a Knights ticketed member and attend home games. The traffic congestion at these events is extreme with the need to close streets, and engage Police Traffic Control. Adding more traffic during Major Events seems unreasonable with parking in the immediate area becoming impossible. If the Basketball Development were to go ahead local residents will not have any respite from the street parking mayhem. The attraction of owning a property in this area will fall off substantially with property valuations falling through no fault of their own. Should there be any form of medical/fire emergency access for emergency services to this area will be severely negatively affected due to traffic congestion and parking limiting access, this is a major Safety and Health risk.
I agree Newcastle Basketball need a new upgraded facility, however it cannot be at the expense of greenspace, parks and ovals, these are a significant asset and need to be retained.

I have read the proponents response to submissions and wish to highlight issues I raised in my previous submission, and the adequacy of the response:-
1. Localised flooding - I once again request that the flooding impacts be reviewed by an independent expert. The drain adjoining the development overtops in moderate to severe rainfall. The proponent has indicated that there will be an increase in flood volumes and water velocity as a result of the development. However, no reasonable stratgeies have been proposed to minimise the impacts on the residential, major traffic corridors and school users adjoining the site.

The vast majority of information in the submission response discusses strategies for the basketball stadium users including shelter on-site, suspension of events and access on foot to Womboin Rd. Shelter on site seems a reasonable strategy, however severe storm events (particualrly localised) cannot be predicted with any certainty. It would be near impossible for the sports centre to predict, cancel and inform patrons in a catchment that can take less than 30 minutes for the stormwater drains to overtop, from commencement of rainfall. I was astounded to see that walking to Womboin Rd was considered a viable option, when flood velocities have been modelled to increase and creates a large degree of uncertainty over the experience and skills of the subject experts employed to respond to submissions. The proposed swale will have negligible impact on water retention and is a water quality/ landscaping feature. The response offers no comfort to those nearby residences that have already experienced flooding.

2. Noise and disruption from construction for Lambton High. I have a daughter who will commence year 7 in 2026 at Lambton High. The noise report clearly states that Lambton High is a sensitive receiver and that the acceptable noise levels will be exceeded particularly in the early stages of construction. Once again, we see no offering of any reasonable strategies to mitigate this impact. Instead the report highights behavioural strategies for the construction workers (no loud music, no yelling etc.) I have genuine concerns that the students will be negatively impacted with construction so close (in fact it is now closer than the initial proposal). I do not believe the time period given for this disruption is realistic or that the proponent has any ability to reasonably state how long construction will take. The lack of mitigation strategies, suggests a disregard for the concerns raised previously.
3. Loss of green space and public amenity. Despite receiving numerous submissions on the concerns regarding this issue, the proponent has chosen to reduce the available public space in their response to submissions. There will no longer be publicly accessible outdoor play areas. Instead, the grass swale, is being falsely represented as green public space. This is hardly a useable area and in fact to have any water quality benefits, would need to be undisturbed to allow the plants to fully occupy the space.

Overall, it is once again a poorly considered response that seeks only to meet the ever-growing wants of Newcastle Basketball. As a resident of Lambton, a member of local sports clubs and a parent of a student who will attend Lambton High, frankly I just feel dissappointed. The process has created horrible community conflict. There has to be a better way to do this. There should be oversight of publicly awarded funds. What a horrible place this has left the basketball community and the local community.

Basketball is the biggest growing kids sport in Newcastle and the facilities are su-standard

It is a much needed facility.

I support the hunter indoor sports centre