Hunter Indoor Sports Centre (HISC)

Well overdue

I support the submission.

Would be amazing for kids and adults to stay active

I believe the proposed location will bring so much opportunity for growth in sport and community. The current Newcastle Basketball establishment is desperate for a new home and I believe this location will not only benefit the current basketball members but also the wider community such as the adjacent high school. As a former student of New Lambton high I can a speak from person experience that ovals were often unusable due to flooding and believe that students would get much more use Out of the proposed project than what is currently there now. Newcastle basketball also currently facilitates many other sports such as volleyball, pickle-ball and cheerleading and I believe the proposed sight and plans would greatly benefit these sporting organisations as well.

Loss of Green Space
It cannot be understated how crucial it is in this day and age of development to preserve the precious green space within busy urban areas. These ovals are used by several different local sporting clubs, the high school, and local residents, every single day. It is incredibly unfair to take this space away and give it to one single sporting club. The tiny token area proposed to be left green is ridiculous and obviously just ticking a box. It's been told to us that this project is in line with the proposed Broadmeadow Sports Precinct but this is NOT within the proposed boundaries. This is being absolutely shoehorned into a residential area.

Parking/Traffic
This is an enormous problem. Now that Mcdonald Jones Stadium have declared the Basketball Stadium is not to include its private car park in its required allotment the stress on local parking is made way worse. Currently all the areas of public parking that the Basketball project have highlighted as for use by their members are FULL every day. They are used by a VARIETY of community members including students and the high school community in general, people accessing the many local commercial businesses, and private residents. With the exception of stadium events the parking situation in the area works in a natural balance. Everyone is accommodated and it's happy days. If the basketball members use these spots the balance will be completely destroyed and the impact of this cannot be understated! It's an actual huge problem for all of us. Every single day. It's easy enough for a project planner to highlight these areas as for use by their members and their job is done but the actual impact is HUGE on us and this is seven days a week.
Traffic along Turton Road is busy at the best of times, often backed up from intersections and slow moving to stopped for decent lengths of time. During stadium events our local roads are completely jammed with traffic and pedestrians. The Basketball Assoc members will be travelling and parking here in large numbers. The disruption and added chaos most every day should not be endured by residents.

Flood Risk
The surrounding area is already classed as a flood zone based on previous events. Even though in the proposal (based on questionable remote computer modelling) it considers this project no danger of increasing flood risk. There are many, many long-term residents of the area that have lived through many heavy rain events and know better than any appointed assessor who has no knowledge of this unique area. The ovals act as a huge natural sponge and hold an enormous amount of water during rain events in addition to the full drainage creek. After a flood that occured in 2018 (one that was caused by the lack of drain maintenance by the city) most local residents, including us, are now not eligible for flood insurance. Most companies will not offer it to us (we’ve never made a claim) or the policies are exorbitantly expensive and out of reach. So that leaves many of us in a very vulnerable situation. The concreting of this huge area which has been protecting us will surely be a great danger to us re: flooding.

Adverse impact on local area
- Local residents and students will have to endure noise from the courts and outside traffic and movements well into the evening.
- The most recent design does not include a court that is an adequate size for the size of crowd the Assoc hopes to attract for its top tier team. They are planning on using space in the Entertainment Centre for these games. This is obviously ridiculous. This further demonstrates why they need a location that will allow for potential growth.
- Us local residents feel this site has been wildly inappropriate from the start. The public engagement has been spotty and when there are public displays we have found most of the representatives there to be only marginally informed and seem to be clearly the bearer of the short straw in what has been a series of quick “ticking of the boxes” for public discussion.
- This entire process has been a hugely stressful time for the residents and concerned parties. This has been 18 months of meetings, info gathering, rallies, and counselling each other. This has been the utterly wrong location for this stadium from the first day. We strongly feel that the Basketball Assoc members would agree but they’ve been led down the wrong path as well and now they are just pushing mud uphill. They do not have enough money to make this site suitable, making the project potentially inefficient in the future.

This would be a great thing for Newcastle young basketball players

This would be a good thing for the Hunters youthful

I’m writing to raise serious concerns about the proposed Hunter Basketball Stadium development.

As a former student of Lambton High School, I feel strongly about the impact this development will have on current and future students. The school is set to lose its playing fields, and nearby ovals that have been suggested as alternatives have already been ruled out by the school as they are too far away. These kids will be left without accessible green space during school hours, which is a huge loss.

Even more concerning is what the students will now have to look at. From the plans, it appears that many classrooms will face a giant brick wall. Instead of open, green views, they’ll be surrounded by concrete. It’s well-known that green space is vital for mental health and wellbeing, especially for young people. This development seems to completely ignore that.

I regularly attend events at McDonald Jones Stadium, and parking is already difficult when there’s a big event on. Adding another major venue right next door is only going to make it worse. I live in Beresfield and, in my experience, public transport and shuttle options are not sufficient - especially when multiple events are happening at once.

There also doesn’t appear to have been any proper consultation with communities that will be affected by the movement of sporting teams. Teams are reportedly being moved from Lambton to ovals in Beresfield and Tarro - but what happens to the people who already use those spaces? There are rumours that Beresfield Touch might lose its fields, and no one from Council has provided any clarity or assurance that existing users won’t be displaced.

It also seems like informal use of sporting fields isn’t being considered at all. Fields that are labelled “underused” are often busy with kids kicking a ball, families walking the dog, or people exercising. That informal community use is valuable, and it’s being completely overlooked - both for the Lambton community and potentially here in Beresfield too.

There’s a real question about whether Newcastle Basketball has the funding to actually complete this stadium. The Cedar Mill project at Morisset is a recent example of a large-scale project that hasn’t delivered what was promised. The risk of this stadium being left half-built is a serious one, and would be a long-term eyesore and financial burden for the city.

Zooming out to the bigger Hunter Park plan, I’m also very concerned about the loss of green space more broadly. With so many new homes and developments planned, we should be protecting the green areas we already have, not building over them. Once those spaces are gone, they’re gone for good. If we don’t plan for enough public space now, we’ll be left with a dense, overdeveloped area that lacks the basics for a healthy and liveable community.

Finally, this area already has flooding issues, and I can’t see how adding more concrete, roofing, and car parks will do anything but make that worse. There’s been no clear explanation of how this will be addressed as part of the development.

As a former student of Lambton High, a resident of Beresfield, and someone who uses local sporting and event facilities, I have deep concerns about this project. It will negatively impact students, strain local infrastructure, reduce green space, and hasn’t been communicated properly to the communities that will be most affected.

I urge the Council and relevant authorities to reconsider the proposal in its current form and to undertake proper consultation with all affected groups before proceeding.

Thank you for taking the time to consider my submission.

I wish to express my support for the construction of the proposed indoor sports centre Wallarah Rd Lambton.
It is critical that an all-weather centre be provided at this location for the benefit of a wide range of sporting and cultural activities.
As a long term basketball player and coach of club and minor representative junior basketball teams I understand the importance of good quality and consistently available facilities for the wide range of activities historically carried out at the current Newcastle Basketball Stadium. The include daily use by hundreds of citizens ranging from junior coaching and club competitions, junior and senior social competitions, junior and senior representative competitions and state and national championships.
Other activities include pickelball, volleyball, indoor soccer, etc. At times the centre has been used for national netball games.
Non-sporting activites historically supported include computer and book fairs, art displays and various sale days.
The Wallarah Road site allows ready access to an off-road cycleway, both rail and bus public transport, and is centrally located for private transport from Newcastle, Lake Macquarie and the wider Hunter community.
Visiting teams are strongly supported by meal, club and accommodation options, uniquely located within about one kilometre.
In the recent past public land has been set aside for expanded hockey facilities, including a private car park; Newcastle Knights 'Centre of Excellence;' women's Jets soccer facility, etc.
Whilst I support this use of public land, none of them has the consistent daily use by hundreds of Newcastle community members, especially children, that the proposed Hunter Indoor Sports Centre would permit at the Wallarah Road site.
This community must be supported by State and Local Government for the advancement of New South Wales' second city.
Submitted for youir strong consideration.

I am writing on behalf of New Lambton Football Club Inc. (NLFC) to object to the proposed development of the Hunter Indoor Sports Centre (HISC) on Wallarah/Blackley Ovals in New Lambton NSW 2305.

We play out of Novocastrian Park on Orchardtown Road and Regent Park on Regent Street New Lambton NSW. These Parks are hired from the City of Newcastle (CN). We are a suburban, grass-roots, not-for-profit community-focussed local football club. We have approximately 1000 members registered in 2025 with our club.

We again object to the proposed development of the Hunter Indoor Sports Stadium at this location. The current location has fit for purpose community football fields that could easily be improved upon for limited cost. Our club would be very happy to use these facilities now as they exceed in several ways what we have access to now. We struggle to accommodate all current and prospective participants despite the assertions of the City of Newcastle (council). On inquiring to use these fields we are told they are already in use and not available.

The replacement of football fields with fields at distant locations to the population demand such as at Tarro or the proposed Creek Road development at Maryland does not encourage sport participation in our suburb and surrounds. With basketball participants coming from all over the region, why is it not viable to place the basketball stadium at one of these locations? Our previous submission highlighted the current demand for our sport and removing three full size fields of space will only put pressure on current facilities and limit growth.

We retain the opinion that the HISC is a necessary development but this is the wrong spot to locate it.

I fully support this development - This facility is much needed and this is a great location!

I am writing to object to the proposed development of the Hunter Indoor Sports Centre based on its proposed location on Wallarah and Blackley Ovals New Lambton. My objection is as a parent of two Lambton High School students.

My objections remain the same as for my initial objection, as the issues raised there have not been adequately addressed. Lambton High School relies on the use of Wallarah and Blackley ovals to be able to provide key teaching, sport and play as they do not have these facilities on site.

Less unstructured physical activity at break times- students won’t be able to travel to other greenspace in their break times. The small amount of green space between the development and school has been removed in the revised plans, again limiting this usage.
A lack of access to the space for physical education- having to travel to other sites will impact their learning time and active time. Although the submission shows green space in the area, many of the sites are not public access such as Arthur Edden Oval, Hockey Centre, Harker Oval and Knights Centre of Excellence.
Access to other sites will involve increased teacher supervision with the closest ovals being Ford and Kentish Ovals. Students with limited mobility will require extra resources to participate or will miss out.
The loss of the space will inevitably lead to fewer sport options or loss of free and low cost activities. Lambton High School has on site indoor sports areas now, and I don’t believe the promised access to the HISC adds value compared to the loss of space.
Current space is the emergency evacuation point for the High School.
Lambton High School is oversubscribed in student enrolments and demand for places likely to rise with other proposed housing developments in the local area. Space available within the school is already crowded and this will worsen the overcrowding of space.
Increased traffic around the school site will reduce the safety of active travel to Lambton High School for students
A multi-stage development over many years will be disruptive in terms of noise and vibration experienced by students during learning time. The lack of transparency over where the shortfall of funding is coming from makes it likely that the time period for development will be extended.

The EIS fails to adequately weigh the negative consequences of this development on the students of Lambton High School. I again ask that another suitable site be found for this development.

I wish to formally object to the proposed project in the proposed location on the following grounds:
As a parent of a very active sporty child that has used this green space 3-4 times a week over the last 12 months with a high-profile sporting club Lambton Jaffas FC. Up to 200 kids a day at a time can be using this space for training. During training I have witnessed extensive bird life using the fields and surrounding trees to nest and gather food from the grass. The parking next to the drain gets very busy and is dangerous as there is no curb and guttering and is used as overflow parking when major sporting events are on.
Lack of Adequate Community Consultation and Engagement
The proponent has not demonstrated sufficient effort to engage with the local community. Meaningful consultation is essential to ensure that residents' concerns, values, and insights are considered in the planning and decision-making process.
Traffic Impact Concerns
The project is likely to exacerbate existing traffic congestion in the area. There has been inadequate assessment of how increased vehicle movements will affect road safety, commute times, and local infrastructure capacity.
Flooding Impact Considerations
The site and surrounding areas are known to be vulnerable to flooding. The proposal lacks a comprehensive flood risk assessment and mitigation strategy, which raises serious concerns about the safety and sustainability of the development.
if this goes ahead with the lack of funding i feel the whole project will stall and we are left with a messed up unusable green space that will be left half done and stall for years to come or be disbanded due to lack of funds, I support a new facility but should be in the right location, ideally next to Glendale Athletics center on the disbanded AFL field and bushland would make more sense than what is proposed.
Sincerely,

Please find attached my Submission D
for SSD 65595459

I support the new stadium as enthusiastic sports person, and 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. I have played elite basketball and know that a new indoor sport facility will mean that Newcastle can host international events as well as local club-based competitions and activities. It will be just as important to the amateur, trying out a new sport, making friends, attending events and activities.
Great sporting facilities that can host representative-level competitions bring money to town and benefits local business. I come from Tamworth, where the sporting facilities for various codes regularly result in booked out accommodation, and busy hospitality venues and retail businesses.
A family friend has a teenage 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. Its proximity to several schools with relatively small school grounds will make it an all-weather option for weekly sports afternoons.
I see that it is near bus routes, a train station and will add to the existing sporting precinct comprising the McDonald Jones Stadium, the Newcastle International Hockey Centre, a swimming complex with a diving and water polo pools and other ovals and cricket pitches.

The ovals at New Lambton are still the wrong place for this project, which is otherwise a reasonable project.

As a parent and active community member in Newcastle, I strongly support the proposed Hunter Indoor Sports Centre (HISC) SSDA development. Our current indoor facilities are outdated and no longer meet the needs of our growing sporting community. Too many children are being turned away from sports due to lack of space or weather-related disruptions. The new HISC will provide a modern, all-weather venue for a wide range of sports—including basketball, futsal, netball, volleyball, and more—ensuring young people and families can stay active and engaged year-round.

Beyond the courts, this development is a vital investment in our city’s health, inclusion, and social cohesion. It will be a welcoming space for people of all ages and abilities, promoting youth engagement, community connection, and accessible sporting opportunities. The HISC represents not just a much-needed facility upgrade, but a long-term commitment to Newcastle’s wellbeing and future. I wholeheartedly support the project and urge its approval.

I object in the strongest possible terms to this proposal.

From reading Newcastle Basketball's submission it is clear that they are attempting to ignore and downplay the very serious impacts that the development will have on local residents and the wider community (through traffic etc) as they are locked into this site - even thou it is completely the wrong site for such a development. They are clearly trying to provide as little information as possible and bulldoze this proposal through. I have sympathy that Newcastle Basketball are being forced out of there current location but this is the wrong site - especially with the large scale broadmeadow development coming in future years.
As raised in my original submission I am still concerned about the misinformation put out by local councillors and Newcastle Basketball about the process of how the ovals were selected by the previous lord mayor and CEO.

Further I have the following concerns:
- Traffic issues onto Turton road and other surrounding roads. Newcastle Basketball seem to trivialise these concerns and I do not believe they have done sufficient accurate modelling to even know what the effects will be. I would suggest this is on purpose as robust traffic modelling would show the impact of the proposal as severe. I do not believe they have even addressed transports concerns adequately. They are clearly trying to not address the serious issues relating to traffic.
- Loss of Green Space for other sports codes and Lambton High School.
This is robbing peter to pay paul - pure and simple. Also with the future number of new residents coming with the broadmeadow development this green space will be more valuable to the community as ever
Further it would change the entire character of the area. There is a green corridor from lambton park through to the stadium which will be destroyed.
- Flooding impacts. Again I don't think Newcastle Basketball's submission adequately quantifies the impact they will have as they know they can't address the impact. They can only make matters worse for local residents and for turton rd.
- Parking impacts - which are obvious and again not addressed adequately.

See attached submission

Over building this green area will be to the detriment of the local people, the school, the suburb, the draining of flood water, cyclists and local sports groups.
I can see no positives for the locals or the school. There will be a negative effect on street parking for the locals, people attending the school and those attending sports events across the road.
The amenity of the cycle way will be impacted which may result in less people using this healthy form of transport.
The floodway can not cope as is and there will be less porous surfaces if this dubious development is allowed to proceed no matter how much “tinkering “ is done to it.
As far as I can ascertain there is minimal support and a great deal of anger at this misplaced over development.