Hunter Indoor Sports Centre (HISC)

This is very much needed as the current stadium is falling to bits. The roof is constantly leaking and the inside temperature is too hot in the summer.

Basketball is a great sport and this will encourage kids to continue playing it.

The design looks really well made. Please make this happen.

Response to amendments submission attached as PDF file.

The basketball stadium upgrade is long overdue and would be a valuable asset to the community

Its a much needed venue and is located adjacent the Broadmeadow Sports Precinct which is the logical location for it given the Broadmeadow In Place Strategy

Well over due

Submission as per an attachment

Location is not suitable as area is prone to flooding and the area is existing grass playing fields. Used by neighbouring schools and Saturday junior sport. Lack of parking with current sporting venues located in the same area. A Much Better location would be Chatham Rd old gas works site.

I support this project fully. To not have a stadium for the activities it will accommodates now will be devastating to so many.
We support positively .

I strongly object to the development of Wallarah #1, Wallarah #2 & Blackley Ovals in Lambton (Newcastle).
I cannot see where objections related to flooding, parking, traffic, etc are mentioned in the applicant's response to community submissions. Is this a case of "we can't address them, we can't manage them, so we just won't mention them - & hope we get away with it"? So I'm attaching my previous objections plus a significantly longer one.
I appreciate that we get to have a say in this, unlike so many big decisions that affect residents throughout Australia. Thank you for the opportunity.

I 100% back the HISC project. Newcastle is in dire need of a new basketball stadium. One should have been built sooner.

We have a thriving basketball culture in Newcastle, Lake Macquarie and the Hunter and there are inadequate facilities to support this. It’s embarrassing seeing the Broadmeadow stadium on the TV when watching NBL1 East games. It is so far below par of the other stadiums around Australia. People travel from Interstate and play there too. In wet weather, there are bins out to collect the rain drops coming through the roof and poor staff having wipe the court with towels. It’s not good enough.

It’s time for the Basketball Stadium to match the caliber of players we have and are producing. Bring it on!

This submission is presented on behalf of the 650 members of the Save Our Lambton Ovals (SOLO) community, united since December 2023 to protect the Wallarah and Blackley Ovals from the proposed Hunter Indoor Sports Centre (HISC) development at this location.
For more than two and a half years this project has cast a long shadow over our neighbourhood—stirring fear, frustration, and a deep sense of exclusion.
Equally troubling is the missed chance for genuine engagement. From the outset, consultation has been minimal and transactional, denying decision-makers the benefit of the lived experience of residents who know this place best—its flood behaviour, daily traffic patterns, and the vital role these ovals play in everyday community life.
This submission highlights the harm already felt and the permanent, long-term impacts we fear if the project proceeds. It demonstrates that the proposal fails the net-benefit test and must be refused at this location. Detailed evidence of the impacts on the community are set out in the attached document.

I fully support this new location and proposal.

The adjustments that have been made have addressed concerns and I think it’s important to keep it in the same vicinity as the current stadium, with good access to public transport and other sporting facilities.
There is still a lot of green space remaining in the area, and I appreciate that local residents are opposed but this would be the case no matter where a new facility is built. Broadmeadow is the hub for sport in Newcastle and it’s important to keep the facility as part of this.

My objections to the Stadium Development have not changed since attending the information sessions held recently at MJS.
Not one of the original concerns were adequately addressed from a LOCAL perspective.

Flooding - only takes into consideration a Major Flood Event such as the 2007 Hunter storm
Take two OVALS away that absorb a heap of rain and run off goes into Styx Creek.
Styx Creek is subject to flooding.  Houses on Monash Road and surrounding streets cannot afford House insurance due to costs often in excess of $13K per annum.
Cover the Creek they say.  This will push water into our suburbs of Broadmeadow and Hamilton (already subject to flooding).
This development does not just affect locals but the whole district.

Traffic - moving an entrance/exit 3 meters north does nothing to alleviate the additional traffic.
There is also major traffic congestion when Games are on.  Add in the additional music entertainment planned for coming years and one will find the MJS booked out for nearly every weekend.   We already have Lambton High traffic (8am to 9am  and 3pm to 3.30pm).  Add in Hockey, MJS and other local events and we already have traffic problems.  Adding a stadium that will be used 7 days per week is going to be madness.
I already plan my drive times to avoid school traffic and major events  (lucky me that I get a choice)

Loss of Green Space and impact on Lambton High students.
This is their emergency meeting place, sports ground and play area.  Take it away and students will have to walk to another area that requires road crossing and therefore additional teacher resource.

Drainage and sewerage.
Residents in Central St, my street, Young Road and Monash St already experience slow drainage and back up of sewerage in heavy rain events.
Laneway between my street and Central St has constant sewerage smell coming from the drain. 
The development will exacerbate these problems.

There is a better site at Glendale that no one seems to wish to consider.
Perhaps because too much money has been invested in pursuing Lambton option.

I am writing on behalf of Hunter Pickleball Inc (HPI) in support of the establishment of the Hunter Indoor Sports Centre (HISC).

Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in the world. The Hunter Region is no exception, with about 2,000 players in the Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Port Stephens, Cessnock and Maitland LGAs.

HPI began playing at the Newcastle Basketball Stadium in January 2024 on 9 permanently lined pickleball courts. This was a joint initiative between NBS and HPI and we now provide over 180 playing spaces per week to our members. Our members range in age from 11 to 86, the average member age is 60. We offer beginner sessions, coaching sessions, competitive sessions and social play sessions in an attempt to cater for all skill levels.

The proposed HISC is an exciting development which promises to allow HPI to further grow our member base and the participation of pickleball in the region. The provision of extra court spaces will allow us to expand our sessions from weekday, daytime only to some evening and weekend time slots. While this is vital for the continuation of HPI's growth it also allows some regional and state competitions to be hosted in Newcastle.

The Hunter Indoor Sports Centre is a very necessary upgrade to the sporting facilities in this region. It will cater to a lot more sports fans than can be accomodated in the current facility. The management team and members of Hunter Pickleball are eagerly waiting for the next step in this exciting project.

John Morris
President
Hunter Pickleball Incorporated ABN 72179004824
A not for profit sporting organisation

The existing basketball facilities in Newcastle are entirely inadequate. The proposed development has been well designed, ideally located as a hub for Newcastle basketball, and should be progressed as soon as possible.
Thanks
Chris

This venue is sorely needed for the kids and community of Newcastle. The current basketball stadium is in disrepair and the kids/community need somewhere safe and proud to play, especially with the volatile weather conditions of late. This new stadium will allow more kids to play basketball (Newcastle basketball are turning away hundreds of kids due to limitations), which will benefit physical and social/emotional health and wellbeing.

This is much needed facility upgrade for the area.

Please let this project go through. I want to play basketball here, both for fun and competitively. It’s the only thing that keeps me alive and is enjoyable to play. Otherwise I could get overweight.

Build a new stadium and car park

I worry that there is more being lost than gained in this project. I agree that issues with road congestion, parking, flooding, loss of green space, loss of park access to Lambton High are all valid. Bird life will also be affected. What public transport is available to kids going to their complex? Who will be responsible for litter clean up, security, graffiti etc?
Have other venues been explored such as the old gas works site, Regent Park in New Lambton etc? Why can't the existing site be used?
It is good to have facilities for our youth, but it must not be by impacting the Lambton High School kids.

More work needs to be done on this project to ensure it is done right with plenty of public consultation.
Cheers