Hunter Indoor Sports Centre (HISC)

I object to this project. See my attachment below complete with pictures.

I note that the Environmental Impact Statement mentions that the objectives of the project are to:
To facilitate improved health outcomes, social and community inclusion and opportunities to learn a variety of sports.
Encourage participation in sports for Indigenous people, women and girls, people with a disability and people of culturally diverse backgrounds.
This proposal appears to not take into account that while the basketball stadium will have additional courts compared to the current stadium the proposed site is on existing sporting fields that are used during the school day for physical education, sports, and break time exercise by Lambton High students. After school and on the weekends the ovals are used by cricket and soccer teams. Gains in additional courts are unlikely to offset the loss of opportunity for current users of the oval.
Redeveloping the stadium at the site of the existing stadium would mean that the community does not lose space for exercise and recreation.
There will also be disruption to the shared path during construction and due to increased traffic after construction. The shared path is used by people for exercise and active travel.

I am writing to express serious concerns regarding the proposed development of the Hunter Indoor Sports Centre (HISC) at Wallarah Oval. While the facility itself would be valuable for the region, the chosen location presents significant issues that warrant immediate reconsideration.

Traffic Impact and Infrastructure Concerns:

The proposed Hunter Indoor Sports Centre at Wallarah Oval presents significant traffic infrastructure challenges that would severely impact both local residents and facility operations. Current traffic assessments indicate that the existing road network, primarily designed for residential use, would be severely strained by the facility's proposed seven-day-per-week operation. The site's limited access points, feeding directly onto Turton Road, a major arterial route already operating at 85% capacity during peak hours, would create additional congestion at critical intersections. Of particular concern is emergency vehicle access, which is already compromised during the 13 annual Newcastle Knights home games at McDonald Jones Stadium. The cumulative impact of both venues operating simultaneously would create untenable traffic conditions, with conservative estimates suggesting traffic volume increases of up to 400% during peak event times. These traffic implications extend beyond mere inconvenience; they present serious safety concerns for a precinct that currently services over 5,000 residential properties within a 1-kilometer radius of the proposed site.

Flooding and Insurance Implications:

The site has a documented history of flooding, raising concerns about the facility's long-term viability. During the 2007 “Pasha Bulker” flood event, water levels severly impacted houses in the adjacent area. Subsequent “once in 100 year floods” have resulted in difficulty for adjacent properties to gain insurance for their properites. Development in this flood-prone area may increase flood risks for adjacent properties and residents already face further potential increases in insurance premiums due to increased flood risk. The consultation process fails to address or work alongside impacted residents on these risk and significant costs may be required for flood mitigation measures from both Newcastle Basketball and for residents which could have significant impacts for property vaues and insurance premiums for residents surrounding the proposed development.

Parking Issues:

The is insufficient on-site parking for regular daily basketball events. Despite the proposed plan for overflow parking in the McDonald Jones Stadium carpark current parking trends show that events in and around the McDonalds Jones Stadium already significantly impact residential streets. On any event days at the existing McDonalds Jones Stadium as well as hockey events at the hockey stadium, total to around 40 events per year. Each of these events impact residents ability to basic access to driveways. This is shown by City of Newcastle Parking officers regularly patrolling the area to try to unsuccessfully address the issues. The addition of the Basketball stadium would increase these issues up to 365 days per year according to the proposed operation hours. These issues are exacerbated by the limited public transport options would increase reliance on private vehicles. As a result of this we as a local resident and our neighbours would face restricted access to our properties daily not only making returning home and driving in our driveway difficult but also reducing the ability of emergency services being able to access properties should the need occur.

Community Consultation Concerns:

The community consultation process for the Hunter Indoor Sports Centre development has been fundamentally flawed, with only residents within a very small radius receiving direct notification, despite evidence suggesting the impact zone extends well beyond 2 kilometers. This restricted consultation approach has effectively excluded thousands of affected residents from the decision-making process, with estimates indicating that over 12,000 residents will be impacted by this development, far exceeding the initially consulted demographic of approximately 400 households. The lack of transparency extends to crucial environmental impact assessments, with key documents either unavailable for public scrutiny or presented in a format that omits critical details about flood mitigation, noise pollution, and ecological impacts. Furthermore, the absence of a comprehensive traffic management plan accessible to the community raises serious concerns, particularly given that similar facilities typically generate over 300-500 vehicle movements during peak periods. The evaluation process has also failed to adequately explore alternative locations, with no public documentation provided to justify why other viable sites, including several that already possess suitable infrastructure and better transport links, were dismissed from consideration.

Alternative Recommendations:

Conduct a comprehensive site selection study considering multiple locations

Implement proper community consultation processes

Develop detailed flood impact and traffic management studies

Consider locations with better existing infrastructure and transport links

The proposed development, while valuable for the region, requires significant reconsideration of its location to ensure both its success and the protection of local resident interests. We urge the government to pause the current development plans and engage in meaningful consultation with the community to identify a more suitable location.

I have an 18 month old son and due for my second child early next year. I want these fields to remain and my streets to be quiet. Parking is already an issue and with the increase of persons accessing the courts will make our streets unsafe and busy. I want these fields to remain for my sons to play on

Please see attached comments, but I object to the development primarily its scale is too large and the impacts to Lambton High School are too significant (loss of sporting open space) for me to support.

I am writing to object to this proposal. I have provided a very detailed response as I feel very strongly that this site is the wrong place for this development based on:
- flooding risks
-loss of green space
- traffic and parking congestion
-the overall cost of $90 million in a time of economic crisis
The lack of immediate and long term impacts on the local community have not been considered in any depth - in fact, it is quite offensive.
The reporting is very biased and almost wholly focuses on the needs of the basketball community at the deteriment to any other affected groups.
Basketball association of Newcastle limited (BANL) have chosen to pursue this site despite the level of distress raised by the local community. They have not attempted to engage with us but have forged ahead completley with their own interests being considered.
You will note a very clear split in the submissions recieved - please read carefully that those in support of the proposal will be focused on the need for a new stadium, the growth of basketball, how old and worn down the current stadium is. It is not in question that BANL are in need of a new stadium. In contrast, you will note that those opposed to the proposal are focused on the specific location, the issues with the site detailed above not the development as such. We are concerned with our day to day livelihood. Further details are documented in my attached submission

With kind regard

Jacqui Rosewood

10th November 2024
Navdeep Shergill
Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure
4 Parramatta Square, 12 Darcy Street,
Parramatta,
NSW 2150.

Attention: Navdeep

RE: SSD-65595459
Dear Navdeep,
I am a resident at 4 Hitchcock Avenue New Lambton, and I object to the Hunter Indoor Sport Centre, proposed to be constructed at 2 Monash Road and 24 Wallarah Road for the following reasons:
Appendix A
- No comment.
Appendix AA
- Engagement was not undertaken with surrounding landowners as required the engagement section of the SEAR’s Table.
Appendix B
- The proposal does not clearly define how the design will minimise the Urban heat Island effect.
- SDRP comments and responses have not been communicated.
Appendix BB
- No comment
Appendix C
- No comment.
Appendix CC
- Flood assessment does not adequately describe how the development copes with an extreme rainfall event given the amount of water the developments roof captures.
Appendix D
- Local landowner engagement was not undertaken.
Appendix DD
- Report does not describe fire danger mitigation strategies.
Appendix E
- Location of vehicular entry will significantly impact the residents to the north acoustic privacy.
- Final development does not adequately address the connection of the existing bike path to the existing footpath on Turton road.
- Private open space to the west is inadequate and poorly located.
- Views show developed landscape. Views should be updated to show landscape development after 1, 5 and 10 years.
- An additional view should be provided between view 2 & 3 as this is the view that will most impact the residence on Monash Road.
- The development relies on connection from the Monash Road footbridge, encouraging parking along Monash Road. This area is currently non- compliant and a safety concern. How does the development propose to manage this issue?
- Building mass should be further articulated to the south to better address the domestic scale of the residential precinct.
- Stage 1 views suggest the development will provide publicly accessible playing fields to the north, east and southwest. Has the development allowed for costs associated with the construction and upkeep of the facilities or will this be the responsibility of Newcastle Council.
Appendix EE
- Waste management report suggests a dedicated bin storage room will be provided in stage 2.
- Waste management plan suggests external bins will be located to the southeast adjacent to the service and loading zone in stage 1A & 1B, however this is not evident on the architectural plans. Suggest the development has not given any consideration to their neighbours on Monash Road based on this strategy.
- The waste storage facility should be increased in size so servicing can occur 1 day a week as opposed to 2 days a week.
- Developer should commit to waste collection between the hours of 9am and 5pm due to residential neighbours.
Appendix F
- No comment.
Appendix FF
- No comment
Appendix G
- Estimated development costs are $82,614,419.00. Does the development have funds available to build the proposal?
Appendix GG
- No comment
Appendix H
- No comments
Appendix HH
- No comment
Appendix I
- How is the bike path maintained beyond stage 1?
- Provide views that show the development of the landscape at 1, 5 and 10 years.
Appendix II
- No comment
Appendix J
- No comment
Appendix JJ
- No comment
Appendix K
- No comment
Appendix KK
- No comment
Appendix L
- No comment
Appendix LL
- I am a local landowner, and I was not consulted.
Appendix M
- Visual impact assessment shows mature trees that have established for many years. Impact assessments should be describing the development as each stage is complete noting the vegetation will not be this well established.
Appendix MM
- No comment
Appendix N
- No comment
Appendix NN
- Report does not adequately inform adjacent residents of the light pollution they may experience.
Appendix OO
- No comment
Appendix P
- Basketball patrons will not walk 400m from the Harker oval off street parking as suggested in the report.
- Cycling path has been disrupted in the final state, developer to provide solutions to maintain this amenity.
- The report does make a general statement regarding major events, further analysis should be provided during these events.
- Traffic report should assess the compliance on the Monash Road parking given the development proposes to leverage these facilities.
Appendix PP
- No comment
Appendix QQ
- No comment
Appendix RR
- No comment
Appendix SS
- No comment
Appendix T
- No comment
Appendix TT
- Staging plan describes months, not dates. Residents should be informed of the dates of the proposed works.
Appendix U
- No comment
Appendix UU
- No comment
Appendix V
- No comment
Appendix VV
- No comment
Appendix X
- No comment
Appendix Y
- No comment
Appendix Z
- No comment
I look forward to your responses in due course.

Yours Sincerely,
Anonymous

Please refer to the attched Response where i present my concerns and objections regarding this proposal.

Dear Sir or Madam
I am opposed to the Hunter Indoor Sport Centre. The problems in the area at the moment of this proposed centre are numerous and to built a Sports Centre in this area will increase the problems even more. Traffic, Flooding, noise light pollution to name a few. Lost of green space will affect the community and the environment. This is a residential area and our council did not consult with the community a lot of consultation was none only with selected few groups not the grassroots of the community. Please see my attached submission.

In principal I support the proposal with concerns about traffic that is already high when the McDonald Stadium is used and the Hockey Arena on the opposite side of Turton Rd.
Additionally, The proposed development of other green space areas close by for high density housing would reduce the green space available to near zero.
If those housing plans were squashed then maybe it could be ok to lose some for the new stadium.

How can this happen when parking is already a nightmare when the jets and knights are playing.
All the drain or lack off in all the nearby streets have water on them when there is a little rain? Where does the water go from those fields if there is concrete structure on it.

My reason for the objection is the permanent, irrevocable loss of the “cool sink” that runs from bush land at the suburb of Wallsend, through the suburbs of; Lambton, New Lambton , and Broadmeadow.

The swamp land that was reclaimed from Lambton Park through to Broadmeadow is part of the low level land that this indoor sport centre is going to built on.

This low lying land which has been park and playing fields for decades is what keeps these suburbs cooler in the summer months, they are a cool sink.
Construction of buildings and car parks will reverse the only natural cooling this part of the city has.
Such is mad in an ever warming world.

I live in New Lambton. I walk around New Lambton every week. I go for walks in the locality this construction will be. I walk and live here in winter and summer. The difference in temperature from residential New Lambton down into this cool sink is significant, five degrees or more.
When this government takes more of the green open land that is by itself an aid to cool the city at night, it is cursing those who live here to be like any other over built hot spot of tar and cement.

Please find submission entitled 'Submission requesting rejection of SSD-65595459 - Ver 1' attached. Thank you.

My concern with the proposal is that the location will take away precious green space that has been used by Lambton High School for decades to maintain student physical activities and support student outcomes. Removing this access will be to the detriment of student health and wellbeing, and particularly discriminate against neurodiverse students. As a local resident it is concerning that there has been no consultation has been attempted with the future population of the school or with locals beyond a couple streets of the proposed site.
I have multiple primarily school age children who will be zoned for Lambton High School and as far as I am aware, the students and families of children at the 3 feeder primary schools have not been contacted about the proposal, despite claims that extensive consultation has been undertaken. I live within walking distance to the fields in question and have received no invitation to any consultation event, and only belatedly heard about an event through social media (not from Newcastle Basketball, CoN or any organisation) at a point when I could not attend. The fact that consultation was undertaken on one occasion with families of Lambton High students highlights that this will be an affected population. Efforts are required to consult with families who will attend from 2026 and beyond.
My children will be attending the High School shortly after the proposals target completion date and will not have access to the adjacent fields. It is unclear whether any alternate location has been identified for school lunch use or emergency evacuation muster points. The fields nominated for school sports use are further away and will not suit these purposes.
In regards to student health and wellbeing there are many studies that show:
- Students crave and feel inspired by exposure to green spaces (https://www.unimelb.edu.au/newsroom/news/2024/september/new-high-rise-schools-need-green-spaces-for-students-to-grow)
- Green spaces can reduce depression (https://scite.ai/reports/campus-green-spaces-academic-achievement-G3rR0b9x)
- Unstructured sport at school has positive health benefits (https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-2458-14-164)
- Access to green spaces reduces behavioural problems (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969722007008)
In relation to the later point, as someone who has volunteered at a local school for 8 years, movement and time in unstructured physical activities is regularly used to help children regulate their behaviour, particularly neuro-diverse children. It is empowering for a child to learn to regulate their own behaviour by identifying when they need to seek physical activity during their lunch and recess breaks. These are the same children who, even if an arrangement (which has not been identified at this time) was made to access other fields during lunch breaks was in place, are likely to be risk-takers when crossing the road or lose privileges to do so. Removing the access to these fields can result in worse behavioural problems and reduce student’s educational performance.
In summary:
- The location will take away green spaces from Lambton High school to the detriment of students
- No alternate location is proposed for evacuation muster points and unstructured (lunchtime) access to fields for these students
- No consultation has been undertaken with the future populations that will attend Lambton High and not have access to these fields
- Reducing access to green spaces negatively impacts students’ mental health
- Reducing access to lunchtime physical activity particularly can result in less-regulated behavioural issues and poorer educational outcomes

I will be seeking to enrol my children in other high schools should this proposal proceed, although with limited places in the nearby academically or creatively selective high schools this may not be an available option to them. I sincerely believe this proposal will damage the ability of one of my children to finish highschool as this child is both academically gifted and has severe attention issues that require regulation through physical activity.

I object to the Hunter Indoor Sports Centre due to the following reasons:
- major traffic congestion due to being opposite McDonald Jones Stadium and being located on a very busy road
- parking issues already exist in the surrounding streets. This would further add to the parking problems
- Loss of parkland for local residents
- loss of playing fields for local sporting clubs- soccer, cricket and schools
- increased flood risk for the surrounding area due to the large amount of water runoff from the facility

We should never lose our green space in a city. Once it has gone, it has gone for all time.

I am very supportive of the development of the Hunter Indoor Sports Centre. Please see my response in the attachment

LOSS OF GREEN SPACE FOR LAMBTON HIGH SCHOOL - I note that the 1200 students at Lambton High School, together with generations to come, who will be greatly impacted by this proposal, are rarely mentioned in the EIS. Page 56 of the Socio-economic impact report addresses the loss of green space by stating "Newcastle Basketball Association notes that the intention is for significant access to the Hunter Indoor Sporting Centre by Lambton High School to support delivery of curriculum as well as general sport and recreation activities". Lambton High have access to 2 half basketball courts and a full indoor court in their Multi Purpose Centre. They do not need access to more basketball/indoor courts. What they do need is open green space to fulfil their curriculum of sports, including; touch football, football (soccer), oz tag, grid iron, AFL, cricket, javelin, t-ball, softball, rugby league, all sports which Lambton High School excel in, and sports which are played on grassed fields. There is mention that there are other ovals locally, but if students need to leave the school to walk out of grounds, this then becomes and excursion and two teachers will be required to accompany the students. This will reduce the amount of time the students participate in their PHPE lessons and may result in them not fulfilling the hours required to meet curriculum. It will also require the students to cross busy roads.
Further, the students also use the ovals during their lunch time to play informal sport, which is important to combat adolescent obesity rates and poor mental health. There have been many studies conducted also stating that exercise is beneficial for increased learning.
These ovals are also used as an emergency evacuation point for the school. Where will the students and staff gather in the event of an emergency? The nearest ovals require crossing a road - something that is a safety concern when evacuating 1200 students during an emergency.

TRAFFIC CHAOS - As a local resident, I have a good understanding of the local roads and how congested the area becomes when the Newcastle Knights, Newcastle Jets, hockey, local football (both Lambton Jaffas Fooball and Wests Rugby League) and events at McDonald Jones Stadium are on, not to mention the daily traffic on the surrounding roads between 3 to 7pm. The left turn out of Turton Road is a logistical nightmare. In the EIS it details that the peak time for basketball is between 4 to 9pm with 500 cars per hour. With only 220 parking spaces I don't understand where everyone will park. The cars coming from the North, East and West will be unable to turn directly into the stadium, so will need to navigate the narrow residential streets nearby in order to access the car park. Given that the car park is likely to be full, I can only assume that many will park on the residential streets and walk to the stadium, likely via Monash Road. These streets were not assessed as part of the traffic assessment, as they are Council owned streets, not State roads, which I see as a fundamental flaw in the assessment process. There have been a number of occasions where emergency vehicles have found it impossible to gain access to a resident's home, due to the large amount of cars parked during events in these very narrow residential streets, something that I also believes becomes a safety concern for local residents.

LOSS OF GREEN SPACE - Once the green space is gone, it cannot be revived. The impact it will have on the environment, the impact on Lambton High School, together with various sporting codes is enormous. These ovals are used everyday by sporting codes, together with casual users; outdoor exercise classes, the local larping association, sprint training, and occasionally people having a picnic. These informal gatherings are important for people to connect and exercise without having to commit to a sporting association and pay expensive associations fees, something that the population is finding harder during these hard financial times.

FLOODING - The area is known as a flood zone. Many houses went under during the 2007 Pasha Bulker storm, together with loss of two lives in the storm water drains. The ovals currently soak up a lot of water. My concern is where will the run off water go when it rains heavily? The storm water drains fill up quickly during heavy rain, which I believe also leads to some safety issues. The only mitigation measures mentioned in the flood report are the use of rain tanks for run off. The report mentions that the car park may flood so if users are worried, they should park on the residential streets, which takes us back to traffic chaos.

In closing, I don't think anyone is disputing the fact that a new basketball stadium is needed, but I do not believe that the current suggested ovals are the correct location and rushing a decision will greatly impact the local New Lambton/Lambton Community for generations to come.

1. As a practicing civil engineer in water, I hold grave concerns for the local residents due to the incremental impact to local rain events “Afflux”. I would recommend the residents seek legal advice and hold the developer and Newcastke City Council responsible for the afflux impacts which have not been documented well.

I am concerned the modelling didn’t consider the scenario where the stormwater drain/ channels are full and then you add the afflux for the development which without a doubt will result in more frequent house flooding until the full 1in 100yr event .

The consultants appear to be just saying well in a 1 in 100 yr flood the flood depth is overtopping anyway. This ignores the piece in the middle. PMF is clearly not relevant.

2. I object to use of such hand whhch will clearly be needed for future Lambton High expansion. Very naive of Council and NSW Govt

I strongly object to the proposed development in this location

I have lived in the vicinity of Wallarah and Blackley ovals for 10 years. I am opposed to the proposal for the HISC. The proposal has failed to address significant safety issues that the community will face should this development be built. The main issues of safety I will address is the traffic impact on the surrounding community (including Lambton High School students, local community users and future Newcastle Basketball users). The other is the flood mitigation measures.
The proposal as it stands has one entry and one exit, both onto Turton Road. This will suit users coming from the South and possibly East. Users coming from the north and west will be travelling through quiet and narrow residential streets to access the carpark. They will more than likely avoid the traffic jam carpark in favour of parking on Monash Road, which currently has a few lines marked to aid in parking for current users of the ovals. Its important to note that these car spaces are just on dirt, not sealed bitumen. There are no pedestrian pathways at all on Monash Road. I currently walk with my young family toting a pram to get to the coffee shop at McDonald Jones stadium most days and have to walk on the road for a significant portion of the trip as one side of Monash is bumpy unsealed dirt and the other is council nature strip thick grass. To put an estimated 22,000 people worth of cars per week into these quiet residential streets would drastically increase the risk of pedestrian related car accidents. Consider that many of the people crossing this road are unaccompanied children attending Lambton High School, who do not have fully developed brains able to assess risk.
The ovals are also utilised during periods of wet weather as flood retention for the surrounding neighbourhoods. In 2024, our quote to renew insurance through Allianz was $16,000 to cover us in the event of a flood because the area has a precedence of flooding – in 2007 there was a flood event that went above the finished floor level in many properties in Monash Rd, Henderson St, Hitchcock Ave, Marina Ave, Gloucester and Duke St. We purchased our home knowing that it was in a flood plain. As is proposed site for the HISC. The proposal doesn’t sufficiently address the flood mitigation measures to protect surrounding buildings if a similar flood event was to occur. It states the car park would act as flood retention; however this is a significantly smaller area that what exists currently with the total area of 3 ovals to retain water. Surrounding buildings are at significant risk of flooding should this proposal be approved in its current form. More investigation and flood modelling needs to be conducted.
The Newcastle Lord Mayor, Ross Kerridge, who has expressed his objection to the proposal loudly and publicly, confirmed with the NSW Premier, Chris Minns, that the success of this proposal did not affect the funding that has been secured by Newcastle Basketball for a new stadium, as their lease on the current stadium will cease in 2028. The local community of Lambton and New Lambton support Newcastle basketball in building a new stadium, as many of us, our children and friends play Basketball and other sports currently conducted at the Broadmeadow stadium. However, choosing the wrong location for this development will have insurmountable long term safety effects on the community.

I am a student at Lambton High School and I also play basketball at the current stadium.
I object to the development on Wallarah and Blackley Ovals because it is my school playground and the school rents the grounds off the council for us.
We will not have enough space to play sports during lunch and recess at school if the stadium is build here. My parents can get me to basketball if it is built somewhere else.
Once my playground is gone we won't be able to get it back.
I hope the stadium is built in a different location.