Hunter Indoor Sports Centre (HISC)

Including permanent pickleball courts in this development is important for the future of athletes of all ages in the Newcastle & Hunter region. As it is proposed that Pickleball be included in the Olympic Games.

The proposed Hunter Indoor Sports Centre (HISC) raises serious concerns for the community as it would remove vital playing fields currently used by schools and local clubs, increase traffic congestion on already busy roads, and provide insufficient parking for the scale of the development, with further risks given the site’s location in a known flood zone. While the project promises modern facilities and regional benefits, alternatives should be explored, such as redeveloping the existing Broadmeadow site while spreading games across other Newcastle venues or using a temporary facility or find a new location entirely.

The amended proposal has not addressed many of the concerns raised by the community in the initial submission.

It continues to damage local liveability
Displace local children from their sporting grounds
Provides tokenistic and ineffective amendment that in several cases worsens the existing risks
Entrenches congestion and safety risk
Game day experiences will suffer from gridlock, dangerous pedestrian conditions and inadequate parking.
Single access and egress bottlenecks, impacting traffic on already busy roads
Noise, light and visual pollution
Clash with Broadmeadow Strategic Place plan
Traffic congestion, school pick up challenges and other sporting misplacement
Flood risk has not been mitigated in this amended proposal
The shift in location on the site brings it closer to the high school impacting evacuation zones, green buffer and worsen visual impact.
Take away the high schools green space
No real traffic mitigation strategy.
Fundign shortage not addressed

I've heard a few complain about this wonderful project for our city. Therefore I had to stand up for this project and our town. Our basketball stadium is very old and well past its used by date. The location is perfect near existing sporting facilities like harness, hockey, football and rugby stadium. Newcastle needs state of the art facilities for basketball and pickleball. Our city is changing have look at honeysuckle, the esplanade etc its beautiful. We need this facility to keep growing and to continue our rise to become the most livable city in Australia.

As a person who frequents the nearby stadium, I say, look at the bigger picture. There are people living metres away. These folk already have to endure the additional foot and road traffic that results from the nearby stadium and hockey ground.
Now the proposal is to build in a known flood prone area, get rid of green space, deny the nearby school use of this space, deny local junior sporting clubs the use of the space, and, totally ignore the wishes of people who live in the area.
The number of parking spaces offered with this development go nowhere near the needs of prospective events, that may very well occur at the same time as the nearby stadium and hockey field.
The state government must consider the implications of this proposed sports centre and how the people in the area, and adjoining suburbs, be affected if it goes ahead.
It is the responsibility of local, state and federal government bodies to ensure the green space within any given area does not diminish. There are other choices that can be made, including the expanse of unused land between the stadium and the Entertainment Centre.
Someone needs to get away from the computer screen and go to have a proper, objective look at this site. Newcastle does indeed need to have a sporting precinct, however, not at the expense of the voting public.
Thank you for your attention.

As a previous student of Lambton High School, in my submission responding to the original plans, I urged the government to not put the needs of basketballers ahead of the very real needs of existing users of these ovals, especially Lambton High School students and other community sports teams, so I was dismayed to find that the impact of the new plans put forward by Newcastle Basketball are even worse in terms of their impact on the local community and school.
The statement by Newcastle Basketball that Lambton High School students can simply use Eden Oval and Harker Oval instead are incorrect, and Newcastle Basketball have clearly not properly checked this information before putting it as a fact in their plans. The use of those ovals would be classed as an off-school grounds excursion, creating a logistical nightmare. Newcastle Basketball have also stated that they would allow the school to have access to their facilities, however the school does not need more hard surfaces, as it already has plenty of them. What the students need access to is green space, open air, and sunlight that they don’t need to pay extra for. In fact, this is what the whole community needs.
Rather than telling the school, community and other sporting teams to move elsewhere, I think that Newcastle Basketball should take their own advice, and move elsewhere themselves, to a more appropriate location.

The updated submission does not fix the issues with taking away the green space for the community and school. It actually makes it even worse. This huge building has now, unbelievably, been moved even closer to the school. There is now no space left for an evacuation location or for students to enjoy some green space during lunch times. Basketball says that the students can just go to another oval instead, but that is not logistically appropriate due to having to cross a road, and the need for permission slips and additional teaching staff for being further away from the school. The noise impact on students of years of construction just outside classroom windows cannot be quantified and has not been fixed.
Although I no longer live in the immediate area, I am well aware of the significant traffic and parking issues that already exist in that location from when I did live there. The updated plans make no real effort to address the negative impact on the community from adding so many thousands of extra cars to the small surrounding streets.
People will be visiting this stadium from all of Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Maitland and the Central Coast. There is no need to have it located close to the inner city of Newcastle, forcing traffic to drive through already busy streets. It should be located in the western suburbs of Newcastle, where there is appropriate space for parking, and easier access from all other areas
I support a new basketball stadium, but it needs to be in the right location.

lack of community consultation -loss of green space playing playing fields - multi sport current use. Parking and traffic issues at proposed location including access - entering and accessing proposed carpark onto Turton Road - main link road. Currently there are major sporting events held in this area - McDonald Jones Stadium - NRL & Football, Hockey Centre - local and representative, which already impact local traffic flow. Flooding issues at current location and close to storm water drains.

Both of my daughters play indoor volleyball (one of them at State Level) and Hunter Volleyball are always struggling to find appropriate indoor spaces to use for their volleyball programs. A new indoor space that can accommodate their volleyball programs would be amazing for the community including all ages and abilities.
Volleyball is the fastest growing sport in Lake Macquarie over the last 9 years based on the data available in the Lake Macquarie Sports Strategy Engagement Report. It has grown 70% over 5 years and 320% overall in the last 9 years.
Hunter Volleyball (HV) is the largest regional volleyball association in New South Wales. HV is not able to have a stable event programme and give certainty to its fast growing member base due to not having its own facility. An affiliation with other sports such as Futsal, Pickleball, Table Tennis, Netball, etc, to provide the community with more opportunity for indoor sports in-line with the Sports Strategy, in the form of a multi-purpose facility, is an ideal situation for the community.
HV have found it difficult to partner with schools over the long term, given the school's needs change over time which affects the reliable programming of HV’s schedule of events.
Volleyball is the type of sport that attracts all those kids who don’t necessarily want the highly competitive sport or enjoy contact-nature of mainstream sports, as it offers people an ‘all-inclusive’ and supportive atmosphere. It also has the appeal of attracting people with disabilities who can play ‘Sitting Volleyball’ or 'Light Volley'.
Volleyball is a low-cost sport with low membership fees compared to other sports, which therefore provides more opportunity for those families with limited funds to still have the opportunity to be active.
All of the Hunter Volleyball members I speak to would all love to have a stable volleyball program and ample opportunity for the community to enjoy this fun and active indoor sport in a suitable venue such as the HISC.

This is a very important project for Newcastle Basketball and other indoor community sports, who are in danger of becoming homeless if this project does not go ahead. Although there are some objections from neighbours to the site the benefit to the wider community is the most important factor. Newcastle Basketball provided the first Basketball Stadium in NSW in the early 60's and it would be a tragedy if this project did not proceed.

We have travelled the state for junior basketball and it has brought so much light and connective times to our family.
These facilities for our kids are not available anywhere else in Newcastle, and the sport is growing at an amazing rate, keeping our kids happy and healthy in a Time when the world is dominated by technology being indoors.

Newcastle had waited many years, if not decades, for a purpose built facility that meets the needs of many participants, with the ability to host national and international competition.
We are so close now. I hope this project gets the support and recognition it deserves.

I support the construction of a new sporting facility in Newcastle known as Hunter Indoor Sports Centre (HISC) as an important investment in the wellbeing of our community and the future of our region. Sporting facilities are hubs of physical activity, social interaction, and lifelong learning. They offer a space for all ages to come together, to move, to play, and to grow. The positive impacts such a facility can have on child development are profound and far-reaching particularly as the facility will cater for a range of sports including basketball, volleyball, badminton, netball, futsal, and pickleball.

In addition to wellbeing, health and social benefits, a sporting facility such as the HISC would have the capacity to host a range of regional, state and national sporting events bringing economic benefits to the region.

The HISC is an important project to support Newcastle’s sporting communities. The completion of this project will see indoor sports growing in our region and will attract state and national based sporting events, which further benefits our city.
The consequences of this project not proceeding are devastating. There are currently over 4000 registered children playing basketball in Newcastle, with many more adults as well. If this stadium project doesn’t going ahead, we will see those children misplaced, losing their sport, hobby and community, with nowhere to go. This will have dire affects on young people, their mental health, sense of belonging and overall wellbeing.
I do recognise the challenges of losing an outdoor sports field, however the proposed field has been largely closed for the last two winters, due to adverse weather conditions. To consider losing an entire sport and sporting community for a sports field that is largely unsuitable for outdoor sport, only proves the biases that exist within Newcastle sport.

This will be a hugely beneficial stadium for our region. Basketball is such a fun, positive sport and it will be heartbreaking to see this project fail. Please, let’s build it now!

I have been involved in basketball in the area since I was a child. I now have the pleasure of coaching a number of teams, both juniors and seniors (over 18's), as well as our elite juniors tied up in and identified in NSW training programs. I hope that my children and indeed the next couple of generations of kids, as well as the senior teams, will be able to benefit from a new, safe facility like this proposal offers; something we can boast about proudly. Sadly, I have witnessed the deterioration of the current facility into the unsafe state that it currently sits due to its age, and we are well past the time for a new place to call home.
Not only is Newcastle the biggest regional basketball club in NSW, the current stadium also plays host to other sports that will no doubt benefit from the new stadium as well, not to mention the opportunities for potential other sports, high schools, primary schools etc.
On top of the thousands of kids weekly who will benefit from the new facility, I look forward to being able to watch national basketball championships, WNBL games, and other significant games and tournaments that Newcastle can't currently host because of poor facilities and non-regulation sized courts.

I have been involved in basketball for over 40years and we have been playing in the same stadium. My grandchildren now live and breathe basketball and I hate to think that they will not be able to play the sport they love in the not too distant future if this new development does not get off the ground. I fully support the new development and its location.

My grandkids live and breathe basketball and if they don’t have a new stadium soon then what sport will they play? I fully support the new development and the location

A new basketball stadium in Newcastle, NSW, would provide a much-needed hub for junior competitions, school tournaments, and grassroots development, addressing the shortage of suitable courts across the Hunter region. The venue would be good for large-scale junior fixtures, gala days, and representative carnivals while also supporting training, coaching, and referee development. The stadium would give young athletes greater opportunities to play in a modern, safe, and inclusive environment. Beyond sport, the facility would promote healthy lifestyles, social connection, and inclusion, while generating economic benefits for local businesses through hosting regional and state-level junior tournaments. This will be a massive upgrade from the current Newcastle Basketball Stadium.

After reading through the amended reports and response to our submissions, I find myself no further reassured that this project should go ahead in the location proposed. In fact, I am perhaps more concerned given the lack of consultation.
Firstly, I see that the overflow parking is to be in adjacent streets (Table 6, pg 51 Response to submissions report). I am not aware of any studies having taken place to ascertain whether the local streets can in fact handle this. I believe that the proposed boom gates will cause traffic to back up on Turton Rod.
Secondly, flooding is still not mitigated. EVerything I am reading about the risk management relates to the site and the patrons. There is a lack of documentation related to how the surrounding residents and houses will be affected. There has been an increase in rain and flooding events this year, making it even more likely that residents will be affected if future weather events continue to be like they have been this year. The stormwater drain overflows and fills quickly and the flood detention basins will feed into that.
I simply do not believe that the impact on local residents has been properly addressed. The loss of green space would be terrible for the wider community. And particularly for the students and staff of Lambton High School. As a teacher myself I know what the logistics of having to cross roads to use ovals that are further away will mean. I continue to do my morning outdoor fitness classes at lambton high and I continue to see people using this green space in positive ways.