Hunter Indoor Sports Centre (HISC)

Newcastle needs and deserves a new basketball stadium now. Competitions are over subscribed and children and adults are missing out on playing on a regular basis. The lucky few that get to play have a stadium that leaks, bits of the roof fall onto the courts and Newcastle misses the chance to have a team in the top national competition as we don’t have the facilities. The proposed location adds to the existing Broadmeadow sporting precinct. Newcastle has a great hockey facility, rugby league stadium and we deserve a brand new Basketball stadium.

The games won’t be cancelled due to rain on the courts. The stadium is in need of a replacement as the old one is falling apart.

Its replacement for our local kids basketball stadium that is already utilised over its capacity. It includes our own kids as well. Our kids will also live deprived if existing facilities finish and they dont find replacement.

The proposed indoor sports stadium is desperately needed to meet the needs of the Newcastle basketball community and will provide the opportunity to host regional, state and National events bringing economic benefits to the wider Newcastle region.
The existing basketball facilities in Newcastle are woefully inadequate, run down, unsafe and reaching end of life.
The stadium is well placed adjacent to MacDonald Jones stadium and the Newcastle International Hockey Centre creating a high quality sporting precinct.
Potential impacts such as traffic, noise and flooding are able to be adequately ameliorated.
Please support the stadium redevelopment.

The Newcastle community is in desperate need of a new indoor multi sports facility, the cure proposed located is and dit for purpose and the new facility MUST go ahead. The new facility takes into account a range of sports including basketball, volleyball, badminton, netball, futsal, and pickleball. The basketball community in particular has outgrown the current facilities with many many children and families missing out on playing due to number caps. The current facility is due to be decommission in 2years so new a needs a home within the local LGA, that is accessible and inclusive . It makes complete sense that the new facility is part of the Broad meadow sports precinct envisioned by NCC. It's such a disgrace that NIMBYism by a small minority of people living in the local LGA has hijacked and delayed the new facility progress , a facility that would benefit the entire community.

We have so many kids in desperate need of a new Basketball stadium. Not only for the Sport to thrive in our town, but for me most importantly it give kids a safe place to enjoy the game they love. You can have the view of all the revenue the new stadium will bring with more competitions being held in Newcastle with the new facilty being built. But for me its were our Community all have a chance to create new friends in a safe enviroment.

I really think the stadium is needed! It will overall bring more community and better infrastructure which assists our local sports cultures :)

We love to play basketball. It has brought us together as a community, and makes us grow stronger through community connections, physical activity and supporting each other. These are all things children need it grow healthy and strong. The hunter is thriving and bringing a big sports arena to the area in an already established sports precinct (sorry if you’re a resident, but you choose to live in a sports precinct!) is a sensible choice.

If Turton rd is a suitable sit for hockey, rugby league, a socver field that is hardly used, a large school- why not basketball? Our kids want to be active, why not encourage this! If residents don’t want foot and vehicle traffic, don’t live near a sports precinct! Move to the country side, not inner city suburbs.

The current basketball stadium in Newcastle has clearly outlived its purpose. Once a cornerstone of the city’s sporting landscape, it now struggles to accommodate the needs of a dynamic and expanding basketball community. Its outdated infrastructure stands in stark contrast to the energy and ambition of the athletes and fans who call it home.
As the base for the NBL1 Falcons, Newcastle deserves a facility that reflects the professionalism of its teams and the passion of its supporters. This isn’t merely a call for cosmetic improvements—it’s a call for meaningful investment in the future of sport in our region.
Modern, inclusive, and accessible facilities are vital for nurturing young talent and strengthening community ties. And there’s no better location than Broadmeadow’s sporting precinct to anchor this vision. It’s the natural home for Newcastle Basketball and a central hub for the city’s athletic identity.
The momentum is here. The community is behind it. Now is the time to deliver the infrastructure that Newcastle basketball truly deserves.

Newcastle needs an indoor centre it can be proud of. Every other region in NSW has better equipped basketball courts despite having smaller populations. The sport of basketball is booming across Australia but it is unable to grow here due to a severe lack of court availability. Broadmeadow makes sense as a central location that is surrounded by other sporting facilities and close to public transport. Smaller centres are also needed in outer suburbs in the future but having the main centre at Broadmeadow keeps it accessible to most of the population.
The centre will be fully utilised year round across all weather conditions and keep our kids entertained and engaged in positive activities.

The current basketball stadium is undeniably outdated and no longer meets the needs of Newcastle’s thriving basketball community. As proud representatives of Newcastle in the NBL1, the Falcons—and the broader basketball community—deserve facilities that reflect the passion, talent, and growth of the sport in our region.

The existing venue no longer meets the needs of players, fans, or the future of basketball in Newcastle. Upgrading is not just overdue—it’s essential. And there’s no better location than Broadmeadow’s sporting precinct to keep Newcastle Basketball at the heart of the city’s athletic identity. It’s the obvious choice, both logistically and culturally.

This is about more than just bricks and mortar. It’s about investing in a space where young athletes can dream bigger, where fans can rally behind their team, and where Newcastle can continue to build a legacy of sporting excellence.

I have written again as I do not believe any of my previous concerns have been addressed, in fact, I believe the mitigation means discussed make the situation worse in many ways. I have attached my submission with my previous concerns and have bolded my concerns as they stand from these recent reports.
Thank you for the opportunity to comment again. Please consider what I have written as I am gravely concerned for the livability of so many people - predominantly local residents but also current and future Lambton HS students, current and future daily commuters

I wish to make this submission as a resident of New Lambton and in my professional capacity as a Life Member of the Planning Institute of Australia. I am also the City of Newcastle’s former City Planner/Director of Planning & Development and former Chair of the Hunter & Central Coast Joint Regional Planning Panel.
Upon reviewing the amended project's accompanying documents, and through my knowledge of the project site and its surroundings, I have the following major issues of concern regarding the project:

• The Hunter Park regional sporting and entertainment sub-precinct as proposed under the Draft Broadmeadow Place Strategy is confined to the east of Turton Road and therefore does not intrude into the New Lambton residential and local open space areas to the west of Turton Road. Under the Draft Place Strategy, Turton Road is viewed as the appropriate western extent of large scale intensive regional sporting and entertainment facilities, thereby not eroding New Lambton's local open space character and not unreasonably impacting upon its residential amenity.

• The proponent’s Response to Submissions & Amendment Report (11 August 2025) at p.92 submits that the proposed development of the indoor sports centre on the subject land aligns with the “strategic intent of both State and local planning frameworks” and “remains consistent with the strategic vision for the site and broader precincts”. At section 4.4 of the Amendment Report (pp.53-55), it cites the strategic planning policies it claims are relevant to the proposed indoor sports centre and the subject land. However, none of the seven (7) strategic planning policies cited promote the development of a major indoor sporting facility on the subject land. The only specific reference to the site appears in the City of Newcastle Strategic Sports Plan 2020 which provides strategic guidance and facility direction for 13 outdoor sports to 2031 and refers to the need to “review ongoing use of the site (Blackley Oval and Wallarah Oval No.1-2) for cricket, due to it being non-compliant with Cricket Australia standards. It makes no suggestion that the site should be considered for development of an indoor sports centre of any scale, let alone one of the substantial bulk and scale proposed by the HSIC.

• The proponent’s Amendment Report at p.55 and p.64 refers to the Government Architect’s Better Placed integrated design policy (August 2017). The SEARS requires the Better Placed ‘objectives for good design’ to be addressed as part of the indoor sports centre development proposal. The “Better Fit” objective of the design policy stresses the importance of ensuring that proposed additions to the built environment are “informed by and derived from its location, context and social setting……and relevant to and resonant with local character”(p.38). I strongly believe that the proposed indoor sports centre fundamentally fails this objective. It seeks to impose on the low scale and fine grain residential character of New Lambton a building of substantial mass, bulk and scale. The proposed building will reach a height of 15.82m, equivalent to 5 storeys, and, through its bulk and scale, cannot be regarded as being informed and derived by its urban context, nor “relevant and resonant” to New Lambton’s local character. In fact, the proposed building’s height is 86% greater than the 8.5m maximum building height applying to the adjacent R2 Low Density Residential zoned land. Furthermore, I cannot accept the findings of the Visual Impact Assessment Report accompanying the Amendment Report that the overall visual impact of the proposed indoor sports centre will only range from moderate to low (p.53). Rather, the substantial mass, bulk and scale of the building will present a significant and overbearing visual impact upon its host setting.

• Blackley Oval and Wallarah Oval currently provide a range of local sporting options in a public open space setting, such as football and cricket. Such options will not be available to the public should the Ovals be redeveloped as proposed under the HISC project. I have major concerns over the appropriateness of this change: i.e. from a publicly accessible 3.77ha local open space area to a substantial indoor regional sporting facility with its associated on site car parking. This is particularly so in a suburban location where public open space is a highly valued resource both for New Lambton’s residents and its nearby local schools. The result will be the loss of 3.77ha of publicly accessible and regularly used open space playing fields.

• The HISC project incorporates a total of 240 on-site car parking spaces. This is clearly inadequate to accommodate the parking demand generated by the proposed development. The significant overflow parking will therefore occur in the residential streets of New Lambton, impacting adversely upon the amenity of the residential areas. The Response to Submissions & Amendment Report suggests at p.76 that the overflow parking could be accommodated in a spread of locations, not just the residential streets, e.g. Richardson Park, some 1.8 km walking distance from the HISC site; and Wanderers Oval, 1.5km walking distance. These are both open space green areas. The Report also cites the McDonald Jones Stadium parking and the Newcastle Entertainment Centre parking as overflow parking options, neither of which has Venues NSW support.

• Vehicles wishing to enter the proposed HISC carpark when travelling from the north will tend to use the Turton Road/Young Road intersection before travelling along Womboin Road, Wallarah Road and Monash Road to enable the left turn from Turton Road into the proposed carpark. Likewise, exiting vehicular traffic from the proposed carpark wishing to travel south will tend to use various residential streets in New Lambton in order to eventually join Bridges Road or Lambton Road. These increased traffic movements will present undesirable amenity impacts upon New Lambton’s residential areas.

• Floodwater storage displacement created by the proposed building and associated car park should be further examined. The likelihood of increased flash flooding in Monash Road as a result of the floodwater storage displacement requires careful consideration. Council’s advice in this regard is important.

For the reasons outlined above I consider the HSIC proposal to be most inappropriate for the site and for its location. I therefore trust that the consent authority will refuse to grant consent to the proposal.

Look for another site that doesn’t involve taking over school & community used ovals

I’m objecting to this proposal because I believe it will bring a lot of stress to the people who live nearby.
My auntie lives on Gloucester Ave and she’s been talking about this for the last two years. I went with her to a community meeting at the ovals in August 2024. Lots of people had signs about saving green space and worries about traffic and flooding. From the beginning, people have been really clear that this shouldn’t be built here. I also signed a petition over a year ago. I do not understand why this is still going on. Why were the people ignored? Over 1500 signed the petition.
When you look at a big project like this that takes up so much space and creates extra traffic congestion, people not being able to park in their own street, and constant anxiety about flooding every time it rains, you have to think about the people who are affected the most. How are they meant to live with that added stress every day? My auntie said a lot of people living in the area are older people, is this how they should spend the end of their lives?
I know kids need places to play basketball and that’s important, but you can build a stadium somewhere else—somewhere that doesn’t impact so many residents. It also upsets me that my auntie and her neighbours feel ignored. People from basketball haven’t spoken to residents about how they feel or what they’d like changed. That lack of basic consultation and respect is wrong.
What I’m asking: Please refuse this proposal or move it to a different site that won’t harm the everyday lives of the people who live here.

The sporting community needs the new stadium to be built and we 100% support this. This is a long awaited project that needs to be approved and built asap. Without this there will be so many youth and adults without a place to play sports . We need this approved and we support it .

I’m writing to object to the basketball proposal. I grew up in the neighbourhood and have recently moved to Brisbane, but I still visit often. The ovals beside Turton Road were a big part of my childhood: after school my mum would take me and our dog there so I could run around. Even when soccer or cricket were on, there was still room to play. It felt like a safe, open community space.

I’m also a lifelong Knights fan and have been to many games. A friend lives on Duke Street and, for a while, we parked there. We stopped because getting out after games was so congested that it was faster to park much further away and walk. There’s no continuous footpath on the walking route we used, so at the exact time cars are streaming out, people are walking on the road. It’s not safe.
My concerns with this proposal are:
Traffic and parking overflow. From the material I’ve seen, weeknights could draw hundreds of people at a time and weekend events up to 2,500. That’s just for sport; the fly-through basketball have on their website shows study/meeting spaces upstairs, which would add more users. I don’t see how the on-site parking covers this without spilling into nearby streets (like my friend’s in Duke St) and repeating the same dangerous patterns we already see after big events.
Pedestrian safety and access. If the centre proceeds, the surrounding streets—especially those without continuous footpaths—need upgrades before opening. Right now, people are pushed onto the carriageway at the same time traffic is trying to clear the area.
Loss of open green space. Those ovals gave kids like me a free, flexible, every-day place to be active. Replacing informal, open access with an indoor venue (with bookings, events and fees) is not a like-for-like swap for daily health and community life.

I support indoor sport for Newcastle, but not at the cost of safety, day-to-day living, and the casual open space that shaped my childhood. My friend has been very stressed about this and was talking to my mum about it so I asked how I could help. Please refuse this proposal because it is the wrong place for something like this, it will effect too many people and the space isn't big enough.

Thank you

Children in our family will be attending Lambton High School and we would like them to have access to natural green space as they have been lacking this in their primary school - New Lambton Public School. We have firsthand negative experience of kids not having an opportunity to play and do sports on natural grass within the school premises. Every school needs to have plenty of green space. Insufficient amount of grass and areas to run around/play has a detrimental effect on children's physical and mental wellbeing.

I strongly oppose to the location of this development. The unnecessary destruction of one of Newcastle's limited green space areas should be illegal. Blackley Oval is an area that is used by many people, both locals and visitors, for sports, recreation and leisure. This oval is prone to flooding, is located right on a major storm water drain and would provide further congestion to an already congested area. Building an excessively large indoor basketball stadium in this area is a total waste of our natural spaces. When raining, this development would add additional storm water run off and place many residential houses at risk of flooding. Excess water is currently absorb into the grounds; however, a development would stop this. In times where many families are choosing private schools for their children, the destruction of this green space would be a great loss to Lambton High School. We need to do everything we can to support Public Schools and the amenities they offer to our future generations! This development will add hundreds and hundreds of cars to local streets and further add congestion to Turton Road. Residents should not have their streets turned into an overflow parking zone. This area is already at capacity during peak sporting times/seasons.
There are many other areas in the Newcastle region where this development could be built. Blackley Oval is not one of them.