Hunter Indoor Sports Centre (HISC)

Our basketball community is growing rapidly, with more young players than ever before participating in local competitions, training, and development programs. Despite this growth, we are currently limited by facilities that are outdated and no longer meet the needs of our players, coaches, and families.

The existing courts and amenities are ageing, with limited capacity and inadequate space to accommodate the number of teams and programs we now run. This restricts training times, reduces opportunities for player development, and creates barriers for new players who want to join the sport.

Basketball is one of the fastest-growing sports among young people in our region. It is inclusive, accessible, and promotes teamwork, resilience, and healthy lifestyles. A new, modern sports centre would allow us to:
• Provide safe, fit-for-purpose facilities for our youth.
• Expand opportunities for grassroots players through to representative pathways.
• Host competitions, clinics, and community events that encourage participation.
• Support families with accessible and welcoming facilities.
• Create a hub that strengthens community connections and encourages young people to stay active.

This is not just an investment in basketball, it is an investment in our community’s future. A new sports centre would give our young people a space to thrive, grow their skills, and be proud of where they play.

We believe our young athletes deserve facilities that reflect their passion, commitment, and potential. With the right support, we can build a centre that will serve the community for generations to come.

This will an excellent community facility

Recently Newcastle Basketball released new amendments to its existing plan, in addition to responding to the submissions made during a public exhibition process held
late last year.

This revision now includes a larger footprint, which means there will no longer be any green space Lambton High School students would be able to use.
The Wallarah and Blackley Ovals are utilised on a daily basis, and it would a travesty for the local community and students to lose that precious green space.

I am a parent of teenagers who both attend Lambton High School, and are Newcastle Basketball members and players.

It is without a doubt that a new Basketball Stadium is desperately needed, however this proposed site is absolutely the wrong location.

I vehemently oppose to this development on this site for the following reasons:

- Lack of initial consultation and subsequent poor community consultation in
determining the site.
- Loss of green space.
- Loss of playing space for other sporting codes
- Loss of amenity for nearby residents
- Loss of evacuation space, playing space, recreation space for Lambton High School.
Lambton HS students will be severely impacted by this change.
- Severe flooding impacts, the current ovals act as flood overflow and the 90% concrete
replacing will cause flooding impacts on nearby residents in Monash Rd, Gloucester
Ave, Duke St, Marina Ave etc.
- Severe parking impacts on nearby residents (Newcastle Basketball’s reports explicitly
state that nearby streets can and will absorb traffic overflow).
- Traffic issues on Turton Rd from entry and exit of hundreds of vehicles to and from the
stadium.
Concerns over funding. Construction costs have risen over 30% in recent years. How is this infrastructure project being funded, and where are contingency funds being sourced from?
The community and local authority will be stuck with the bill and funding the project in a location the local community would rather keep as green space.

Over 70% of original submissions were opposed to development at this site. If approval occurs, it would just prove that there is little regard to listening to the wishes of the majority of the community. It is important to point out that the majority of the community supports a new facility – it is just the wrong location!

The process of reviewing the proposal and all associated documentation has identified the following key issues and raise questions about the cost of this project if it were to be approved on both the local community and Lambton High School (LHS) community.

· The footprint of the proposed building has expanded, meaning the initial oval space / green space LHS could use is now non-existent.
· LHS currently pays the City of Newcastle (CoN) to access Wallarah Oval on an annual basis for daily student activity (PE, sport, general recreation during breaks). It also serves as the key evacuation point for staff and students in the case of an emergency. This space will no longer be available. Where can staff and students safely be evacuated to?
· The HISC proposed building height has increased from the original design. Why? What impact will this have on the southern classrooms regarding amenity and light?
· Newcastle Basketball states that LHS can access Arthur Edden Oval
and Harker Oval. This is apparently not correct and if Newcastle Basketball community are spreading this incorrect information, it can only be to try and benefit Newcastle Basketballs cause and seeking support at Lambton High Schools detriment. false. Advice from CoN to LHS states that without doubt Arthur Edden Oval is a National Premier League (soccer/football) ground with no option to access. Harker Oval is the home base for West Rugby League and West Cricket, and again no option to access. Why are the proponents of HISC spreading misinformation?
· Impact during the construction period has been ignored. Construction is proposed over a three-year period from 7am-6pm Monday to Friday. LHS students will be onsite to undertake assessments and exams and learning in general. How is this conducive to a supportive learning environment?
This summary skims the surface on how LHS will be impacted, not to mention our local community. Already residents deal with the impact of
events at Hunter Stadium almost all 52 weeks of each year.
As per the summary provided by the “Save our local ovals” community group; the proposed Hunter Indoor Sports Centre:
“… is unfit for approval. It fails residents, it fails basketball participants, it
fails planning principles, and it fails the taxpayer. A project of this scale must
be located in a suitable precinct, with sound design, governance, and
funding – not imposed on an already congested residential and school-
adjacent site with no precedent.”

My opinion and I know that of the Lambton High School community is that the HISC is much needed, and would be a welcome asset to the Hunter community. Although the concept is right, Wallarah and Blackley Ovals are absolutely the wrong location.

Please do not allow this project to be approved, which would result in irreversible damage and loss to the community.

Newcastle basketball has been trying to get a new stadium for over 10 years. Firstly they were going to extend and upgrade the current facility but after a land titles claim it drew out the process costing hundreds of thousands of dollars and became not a fesible option to do so, so a new site was sort after.
This process has also taken many years and countless dollars all the while the current facility has fallen into disrepair becoming unsafe to play in. Not to mention that the lease will run out in a few short years to make way for housing.
It is embarrassing for a town the size of newcastle to have such poor facilities for basketball and indoor sports. You only have to travel to QLD or Victoria to see how much their states invest in indoor sports compared to NSW. The NSW government should be ashamed that we have such poor facilities.
The proposed new stadium will be a major boost to indoor sports not only in the Hunter but the whole of NSW.
There are more than 5000 people of the Hunter that currently use the facilities at Newcastle basketball on a regular basis which clearly outweighs the number of students at Lampton High or the few locals that walk their dogs on the proposed site for the new facility.
Newcastle basketball are in dire need for a new indoor stadium that is capable of providing a facility that caters for all its current and future players.
Even those opposed to the proposed site agree that we require a new stadium but no one has offered up a site that is better than the proposed site.
Please just build the stadium. Enough is enough.

Good evening,

This project is an important component in the development of sport and community within the hunter region. Sport is a reason for children, families and the community to socialise, be active, develop a sense of pride and respect and create and foster relationships within a community. It reduces crime, improves physical and psychiatric health and helps regulate the behaviour of children and adults.

I have been a resident of the Hunter for over 40 years. I have grown up playing sport and developing friendships and ties to the community through being part of sport at the current stadium. I am proud to say that my children now also play sport at the stadium and I have a sense of commitment to the sport of basketball such that I have been part of fostering a new club that now has 16 teams playing at Newcastle basketball stadium.

The significance of this is not the benefit the new project provides, rather how sport and community can create a culture for the future that wants to give back for the benefits they have been given. I hope that my children and the players of our club, like so many of us would like to give back later in their lives in kind.

The focus on this project narrowly has looked at issues of sport, parking, traffic and related issues, but hasn’t looked at the the wider impacts and benefits such as those set out above.

If this region is to continue to develop and thrive, having facilities that our community can attend, be proud of and be of value to the wider community are critical.

It’s time for us to rally behind and support this very worthy and important project.

Peter Rogers

Lets gooo!

Having more and better Indoor stadiums will bring more people together to play sports

Statement of Support for the Proposed Newcastle Basketball Stadium

As a parent of children who play basketball in Newcastle, including the representative program, I strongly support the proposed new basketball stadium. Our region desperately needs better facilities to keep up with the rapid growth of the sport, and this development is essential for the future of basketball in our community.

Looks like it will be a great and much needed space to support sport and the community. Especially a much needed space to keep Volleyball in the Hunter going!

I am of the understanding that if the Hunter Indoor Sports Centre (HISC) does not go ahead, there is no other viable site for the sports that would utilise this facility and this would result in significant negative community and health impacts beyond an acceptable level in the Greater Newcastle region. Indoor sports are more critical than ever before given recent climatic events. It is critical that viable and sustainable health and fitness opportunities be provided to the community. I believe that the HISC must go ahead in the proposed location. I trust and believe that the consultants managing the planning approval intend and have made every attempt to amend the proposal to provide favourable and just outcomes for all involved. If any further legitimate constraints are identified I understand that the consultants and proponent will endeavour to provide a solution.
Sadly, my son was turned away from playing basketball at Newcastle Baskeball because the competition was full. I heard 17 teams were turned away from the junior competition. Sport and good health should be a given in Australia. We should be able to participate in community sport and enjoy a healthy lifestyle. I support approval of the HISC.

The HISC is the replacement for the aging Newcastle Basketball Centre and will secure the long-term future of indoor sport in the region. Beyond its sporting benefits, the project plays a key role in advancing the Broadmeadow Place Strategy, by paving the way for essential new housing and urban renewal in the area.
It will support a range of sports including basketball, volleyball, badminton, netball, futsal, and pickleball. The facility is designed to be fully accessible and inclusive, ensuring people of all ages and abilities can be physically and socially active in a community atmosphere.

This facility would have a huge impact on our community for all our children to play multiple sports, or representative teams to actually have a place where they can compete, for our NBL community to come back, this not only impacts the basketballers but all the extra revenue it brings into our community.

The current centre is really run down and could use the upgrade. Basketball centres are already few and far between here, it’d be amazing to have a new facility in place of or ideally in addition to the current one

I strongly object to the building of the Hunter Indoor Sports Complex on the 3 ovals opposite McDonald Jones Stadium. I do, however, support the need for a new basketball stadium – just not in this location.
We live in Lambton but do not live in close proximity to the ovals in question. However, I know there are numerous sporting codes that use the ovals all year round, together with the students of Lambton High School and the local community. The loss of these ovals will displace all those local sporting teams and leave nearly 1,200 high school students without open green space to not only play sport but to relax and enjoy a natural environment outside their school grounds. Removal of these 3 ovals will have an enormous negative impact on all future students of that high school.
Our son plays hockey at the Newcastle International Hockey Centre on the eastern side of Turton Rd, Lambton. This centre is directly opposite the ovals under application for development. The hockey centre is immediately adjacent to the biggest sporting complex in the Hunter – McDonald Jones Stadium (MJS). When any event is on at MJS there is little to no parking, little to no public transport and the whole area becomes a traffic and pedestrian gridlock.
MJS holds a capacity crowd of 33,000. This figure does not include all the staff, security, officials, players, etc. The MJS carpark has insufficient car spaces. Most patrons drive to the area and park in the local RESIDENTIAL streets. In these residential streets, there is often only one footpath, poor street lighting, and many streets south of Monash Rd are too narrow for emergency vehicles to access them when vehicles are parked on both sides of the street.
Drivers circle around and around in an endeavour to find a carpark. This is bad enough when only one event is occurring. However, on multiple occasions we have had to drive to the hockey centre at the same time as the traffic congestion is occurring due to MJS events. As we don’t live in the immediate vicinity, we’re not aware of local road closures until we attempt to drive down those roads. Very recently we were unaware of sport at MJS and we drove down Young Rd to turn into Turton Rd and then into the hockey centre. Young Rd was closed at the intersection with Womboin Rd. We had to turn into residential streets, retrace our steps back toward the west, then north to Griffiths Rd, then we were caught in a traffic gridlock going east, with all the vehicles wanting to drive south down Turton Rd. Our phones were buzzing with messages from other hockey families, saying they were stuck in traffic and would be late to the game. We had to send the same message. When we did get onto Turton Rd it was a very slow crawl south the one block it takes from Griffiths Rd to the hockey centre. This is due to all the vehicles looking for parking or drop-off opportunities, having to stop for the pedestrian lights immediately opposite the ovals (as the vast majority of patrons park in the residential streets around those ovals and have to cross Turton Rd at the pedestrian lights) and also due to hockey patrons trying to turn left into the hockey centre whilst pedestrians stream non-stop across the footpath at the hockey driveway entrance. It is a logistical nightmare for all drivers, whether attending an event or not and so often events are held at night when the risk to pedestrians is even higher.
To consider adding another major sports complex in this immediate area, with little to no parking provided, further adding to the Turton Rd and surrounding residential street congestion is planning of the absolute poorest. The effect on local residents will be intolerable, and I understand that basketball will be open from 6am to 10pm seven days a week. I cannot imagine the gridlock, the pedestrian safety issues, the noise – let alone the effect on residents, high school students and the 3 sporting codes I know of who currently have those ovals as their home grounds. For these reasons I strongly recommend that this application be refused in entirety.

To Whom It May Concern,

I am writing in full support of the Hunter Indoor Sports Centre (HISC) redevelopment. As a parent raising children in Newcastle, I know how important it is for families to have reliable access to safe and modern sporting facilities. Sadly, the current stadium has reached the end of its useful life. Its age and limited capacity mean that too many young people are missing out on opportunities to play, exercise, and connect with their peers. A replacement is urgently needed so that children and adults alike can enjoy sport year-round, regardless of the weather.

The proposed HISC is much more than just a basketball facility. It represents a true community hub that will welcome a wide range of sports under one roof, including futsal, volleyball, pickleball, netball, and tennis. This versatility ensures that the centre will cater for a broad section of the Newcastle community, making it a shared asset that brings people together through participation, recreation, and competition.

Court availability has long been a major barrier to participation in our region. My own children, like many others, have faced disappointment when registrations closed early or when teams could not be accommodated due to a lack of courts. It is disheartening to see young people turned away simply because there isn’t enough space. By increasing capacity, the HISC will remove this obstacle and finally give all children the chance to take part in sport without restriction.

The benefits of this development extend well beyond sport itself. A new, modern facility will promote healthier lifestyles, improve youth engagement, and provide safe environments that keep young people connected and supported. It will strengthen development pathways for athletes who aspire to compete at higher levels while also ensuring that recreational players feel equally welcome. Accessibility and inclusion will be at the heart of the design, allowing people of all ages and abilities to participate. Most importantly, it will help build stronger social bonds across our community, as families and friends gather in a facility that belongs to everyone.

For these reasons, I wholeheartedly endorse the HISC SSDA submission. It is a vital project that will meet the current and future needs of Newcastle and deliver lasting benefits for generations to come. I urge the decision-makers to approve this redevelopment and unlock the full potential of sport and community in our region.

Newcastle is the Major regional town in NSW and has the worst indoor facilities by far. Locations such as Maitland, Tamworth, Port Macquarie, Coffs Harbour all bost superior indoor sporting facilities that can accomodate multiple sporting events. The current facility at Broadmeadow cannot meet the current demands of the region, and events are often canceled due to rain. The roofs constantly leaks, even in heavy due making the courts unsafe for competition. Invest some money outside of Sydney to continue to support active , healthy lifestyles!

To Whom It May Concern,

I am writing to express my strong support for the proposed Hunter Indoor Sports Centre (HISC) development. As both a parent and an active member of the Newcastle community, I have seen first-hand the challenges that come with an ageing and inadequate sporting facility. The current stadium is outdated, has limited capacity, and struggles to meet the growing needs of families who simply want their children to stay active and engaged all year round. Too often, weather conditions dictate whether young people can participate in sport, and this has placed unnecessary restrictions on healthy, active lifestyles.

The proposed redevelopment represents a unique opportunity to transform Newcastle’s indoor sporting infrastructure. The HISC would not only serve as a modern, fit-for-purpose basketball facility but also as a shared hub for a wide range of indoor sports including futsal, pickleball, volleyball, netball, and tennis. This breadth of use ensures that the centre is not only for one sport or one group of people, but rather a community-wide investment that will deliver lasting benefits for people of all ages and backgrounds.

One of the most pressing issues facing families like mine is the lack of available courts. On numerous occasions, children have been turned away or placed on long waiting lists simply because there is not enough space. This is deeply disheartening for kids who are eager to learn, play, and develop their skills. By expanding court capacity, the HISC project ensures that children will finally have consistent access to the facilities they need, and no young person will be left on the sidelines due to a shortage of space.

Beyond the obvious sporting advantages, the development has broader benefits that cannot be overlooked. A facility of this scale will promote better community health by encouraging more people to be active, more often. It will provide safe and inclusive spaces where young people can grow, learn teamwork, and build resilience. It will also strengthen pathways for talented athletes in our region, offering them a venue to train and compete at higher levels without having to leave Newcastle. Importantly, the HISC will also prioritise accessibility, ensuring that people of all abilities can participate. Just as crucially, it will foster stronger social connections, as families and community members come together to support local sport.

For these reasons, I wholeheartedly endorse the HISC SSDA submission. It is a project that not only addresses the shortcomings of the past but also lays the foundation for a healthier, more connected, and more active Newcastle. I urge decision-makers to recognise the enormous value this development will bring and to support its approval.

I support this project.
It will benefit the community.
Basketball is one of the fastest growing sports in the area. We cannot continue using the dilapidated facility. Not to mention Volleyball and Pickleball.

This is a fantastic opportunity for our community and a multiple sports complex like this would bring much needed improvements for several sports (futsal & basketball are huge in Newcastle but every year there’s limited facilities for children)

Support a new and improved basketball stadium, including other facilities would be beneficial to the community.