Hunter Indoor Sports Centre (HISC)

This is a vital well overdue indoor multi purpose, multi sport facility. The current state of Newcastle Basketball stadium is beyond repair. This relocation is not a choice but a necessity due to Newcastle Councils plans to redevelop the current site. With approximately 6000 basketball members alone, with additional other sports members, a new and more compliant venue is required.

I’d like to voice my continuing objection to the proposed development location for the HISC.
Reasons for my objection are as follows
1. I note the original assessment for traffic volume data was incorrectly calculated and now has an increase for vehicle at the Turton/Monash/hockey intersection at peak times as an extra 184 Vehicles per hour on weekdays and 633 V/hr weekends and could only add to the already congested intersections.
This would also add extra vehicles to my original point about traffic traveling via a “short cut” exiting from the proposed centre past my house as patrons leave the centre up to and past 11pm at night and all weekend to travel to southern parts of the city.
2. Changes to parking now that revenues NSW has rejected the use of Macdonald Jones Stadium car park for major events, where will they park? In the surrounding streets, not in the suggested overflow parking at various ovals around town?? My personnel experience with public behavior re parking and facility use is, I live at the end of Thalaba road that adjoins to Wests Gym at New Lambton and have gym patrons parking outside my house from early morning (5am) shutting doors and talking, then again in the afternoon taking up all available on street parking so difficult to park at my property. And I suggest this will be the same behavior and to a greater extent by parking and entering the venue via the foot bridge from Monash rd and with significantly more patrons at HISC.
3. Event management and additional parking
I have reviewed the event management and note the major discrepancies in the traffic management and vehicle entry and exit requirements, the proposed left in out slowdown lane. I call on TfNSW assessment noting issues not addressed –
• no boom gate or ticket checking as this would cause delays to entry and traffic queuing.
• Left in lane would restrict future growth in the area and not allow a third lane of traffic on Turton road
• Bus turn out clashes with traffic control plans at the entry and exit
• How are the traffic management plans going to work with an event at the existing stadium or hockey fields
4. Increased height of the FFL and subsequent building height to allow for flooding levels and lack of detail on the drawings to show the exact height of the building to surrounding assets or ground level. My calculations put the building at 17.5m at the highest point, which is very tall and the possibility of shading for the surrounding residents and Lambton high school.
5. Changes to the location and set back of the building would leave no green space and again increased flood risk to the area and no modelling of this risk for the surrounding area.

The old basketball stadium clearly isn’t fit anymore so definitely in need of a new one. I support the position of the new one being close to Broadmeadow redevelopment and all the other sporting grounds. The grass field it will cover is poor anyway as it constantly gets flooded and is more of a mud plane than a field. The walk through of the HISC looks great.

Key Objections
1. Loss of Open Green Space and Community Recreation Areas
Wallarah and Blackley Ovals have long served as valuable public assets, providing critical open green space for passive recreation, dog walking, family gatherings, and casual sporting use. The proposed development would result in:
The loss of vital community recreational land, with few nearby alternatives available.
The privatization or restricted access of previously public spaces, limiting community engagement and wellbeing.
2. Environmental and Ecological Impact
The area surrounding the ovals includes established vegetation and local wildlife habitat. Concerns include:
Tree removal and habitat destruction, particularly for native birds, possums, and insects.
Increased impermeable surfaces, leading to greater stormwater runoff and erosion risks.
Potential light and noise pollution, impacting both local residents and native fauna.
3. Inadequate Infrastructure and Traffic Impact
The surrounding road network is not designed to support the volume of traffic that a large basketball complex would attract:
Increased traffic congestion on narrow local roads.
Insufficient parking on-site and overflow into residential streets, causing inconvenience and safety risks.
Pedestrian safety concerns, especially for children and elderly residents using the surrounding streets and pathways.
4. Impact on Local Residents and Amenity
The proposed development risks undermining the quiet, residential character of the area:
Extended operational hours, including night-time lighting and event noise, will severely impact quality of life.
Devaluation of property values due to increased traffic, noise, and loss of natural views.
Loss of peaceful community space and disruption of established community use patterns.
5. Lack of Genuine Community Consultation
Many local residents were unaware of the proposed plans until recently and feel excluded from the decision-making process:
Transparency issues, including inadequate community engagement and unclear communication of the development’s scale and impact.
Failure to properly consider alternative sites better suited to high-capacity sporting infrastructure.
6. Inconsistency with Zoning and Strategic Planning Objectives
The proposed use is incompatible with the existing zoning, which prioritizes open space, community recreation, and environmental protection.
The development contradicts broader planning objectives around sustainable development, public access to open space, and retention of urban tree canopy.

It is important to acknowledge that this proposal is essentially a roundabout way of selling off public land to developers. The Government is aware of the uproar that would occur if they simply announced that they were going to sell off the ovals for high rise housing, so instead, they are trying to move the basketball stadium to the ovals so that they can simply sell off the location of the current basketball stadium to developers instead. This, in itself, is disgraceful, however when combined with the design of a gigantic building that is so obviously not right for the proposed location due to the significant detrimental impact it will have on so many areas of the surrounding community, it is appalling that it has even gotten this far! In addition, the updated submission from Newcastle Basketball is a good example of the absolute lack of care or consideration they are giving to the people and groups who will be displaced by their plan, and to the local community that they are wanting to become a part of.
Despite constantly complaining that they have such a short amount of time left to build a stadium, Newcastle Basketball were granted an extension to the already lengthy period of time they had available for their response to submissions. Despite this, they have, for the most part, not actually addressed the very significant issues raised by the community, sporting groups, Council, McDonald Jones, School P&C and the local community, and there is now only 4 weeks to review the many pages of reports, speak with experts and professionals, and respond! This does not seem logical or fair, however the impact on the local community, including the school and other sporting groups, is so dire that I believe our community will again come out in force despite the short time frame available to us.
NO COMMUNITY CONSULTATION
Newcastle Basketball have consistently stated in media interviews that they have encouraged and listened to community feedback, however this is simply not true. As a local resident I have not once been contacted, or received any brochures or information regarding any information sessions from Newcastle Basketball. Newcastle Basketball does not appear to have done any self reflection since their prior location was rejected for very similar reasons to those that are consistently brought up by the local community for this new proposed location.
Perhaps if Newcastle Basketball had chosen to interact with the community prior to announcing on the front page of the newspaper (with the then Lord Mayor, who many months later finally acknowledged a Conflict of Interest) that the basketball stadium would definitely be built on that location, they may not have sunk funds into a design for a clearly unsuitable location.
Newcastle Basketball have not even tried to consult with the community, despite it being a mandatory part of the State Significant Development process.
THE ISSUES RAISED BY THE COMMUNITY HAVE NOT BEEN ADDRESSED
All of the issues raised in response to the original submission have not been addressed by the minimal changes in the updated submission. Partly this is due to not actually being able to be corrected or mitigated through design changes, and partly because Newcastle Basketball appear to have ignored many of the concerns raised.
TAKING AWAY GREEN SPACE FROM THE WHOLE COMMUNITY, TO GIVE IT TO A PAYING SECTION OF THE COMMUNITY
What is now currently green space, available free of charge to the entire New Lambton and Lambton community 24 hours a day, will now only be able to be accessed by paying members of the public. Considering it is expected that up to 40,000 additional people wil be living in the vicinity within the next 30 years, and a good percentage of those new residents are expected to be of lower income, it is highly unlikely that all new residents will be able to pay for access to the basketball stadium, and nor should they have to, considering the ovals are currently freely available public space.
LOSS OF SPACE FOR OTHER SPORTS & SCHOOL STUDENTS
In addition to families, dog walkers, and the general community, the ovals are also shared among a number of sporting codes, and, most importantly, are the only green space available for the students from the local high school next door to run around, do sport, and enjoy some green space. If this building goes ahead, the green space will be taken away from all of them for the benefit of just one sporting code.
The report states that the school will be available to use other green spaces, however, again, this information is incorrect, and does not take into account the logistics involved. The other ovals suggested by Newcastle Basketball are not actually available for their use on a daily basis, and also involve a crossing road, which adds to the burden of already overworked teachers. This is another example of rather than actually doing the investigation, Newcastle Basketball has made an assumption about what others should do without actually finding out if the information they are providing is correct.
CONSTRUCTION NOISE
The impact of constant years long construction noise on high school students, bearing in mind that the school is located only a few from the proposed stadium boundary. The impact on students, especially those studying the HSC will be significant, and although Newcastle Basketball state they will “liaise” with the school, there is simply no way to mitigate construction noise so that it will not impact on students.
FLOOD ZONE
Wallarah and Backley ovals are located within a well known flood zone, and older generations have very clear memories of the land being “swamp land” prior to it being turned into ovals. For this reason alone, it is absurd to consider building a gigantic concrete building over it as the ovals act as giant sponges to soak up rain water during significant rainfall events.
Newcastle Basketball have chosen to ignore the flood risk to surrounding residents in their submission, with very little mention of the impact on residents surrounding the ovals, and they have made no attempt to address how they will mitigate the impact of removing the benefit of the water sponges (ovals). They have not made any attempt in their original, or updated, submissions, to show local residents how they intend to ensure that flooding does not get worse once the water sponges are replaced with concrete, and have focused solely on how they will ensure they themselves don’t get flooded.
The storm water drain flowing beside the proposed stadium location regularly overflows in a very short space of time, and although the design of the new basketball stadium includes “flood detention basins”, those basins will simply be emptied into the existing drains that already overflow and flood (with loss of life as a result during the Pasha Balka floods, for example).
I can only imagine that those behind the proposed stadium location and design, are fortunate enough to have never found themselves terrified by flood waters raging through their home, and have never been displaced for months while their flood ravaged home is rehabilitated, for if they had, they would understand the sheer terror that a development like this, on a clearly unsuitable flood plain would cause to their proposed neighbours.
TRAFFIC
The traffic in this area is already excessive, and that does not yet include the additional 22,000 homes planned for the area directly across the road. The traffic in this area when Jets or Knights games are on across the road is unbelievable, however that is tolerable due to it only occurring once or twice a month. Newcastle Basketball are proposing almost constant excessive traffic nightmares with no real
PARKING
The overflow parking for events is the adjacent streets. Anyone who has actually visited this location would understand how inadequate this is. It would be difficult normally, however the surrounding streets are very narrow and very difficult to drive down just on a normal day. I have not been able to locate any references to parking studies or modelling done to determine the appropriateness and impact of using these very narrow streets as overflow parking, especially once the proposed 40,000 residents move in to the new apartments in the Broadmeadow precinct across the road.
It is indicated that for large events. Parking will be available at McDonald Jones stadium, however my understanding from the responses to Basketball’s original submission, was that McDonald Jones stadium carpark would not be available as it is earmarked for it’s own development. In their original submission, Newcastle Basketball stated that their patrons could use the space next to Monash Rd to park. They are continuing with this plan and have chosen to conveniently ignore that Newcastle Council made it very clear that this space would not be available for them to use unless they tarred and guttered the proposed parking spaces. Newcastle Bsketball, once again, have chosen to ignore what doesn’t suit them regardless of the impact on the local community and community land. If this development is allowed to go ahead, it should be with a multi storey carprk included with enough room for the thousands of visitors that are expected on major game days. Overall, in their updated proposal, Newcastle Basketball have chosen not to address the very significant paring issues raised.
FUNDING
Newcastle Basketball do not have the money, and no apparent plan for how they will actually get the money needed. They don’t even have 20% of the money required. They complain that they have needed a new stadum for the last 30 years, but they haven’t planned or saved any money for it in all of that time, and now they expect the local community to simply trust them that will somehow miraculously come up with the funds after they are allowed to butcher a beautiful community asset to build a small portion of it. It is absurd!

I really support Newcastle Basketball using the Hunter Indoor Sports Centre. The old stadium is honestly outdated and struggling to keep up with how quickly the sport is growing here. Basketball is one of the most inclusive sports, and Newcastle Basketball does a great job getting people of all ages and backgrounds involved. Having them in the new Centre would mean better facilities, more opportunities for juniors and social comps, and proper pathways for elite players — something the old venue just can’t deliver anymore. An amazing venue for all sports.

A new precinct is a must for newcastle

I object to the proposed Hunter Indoor Sports Centre (new basketball stadium) at 24 Wallarah Road and 2 Monash Road, New Lambton. While I support community sport, the size, location, and impacts of this development make it wholly unsuitable for the site.

The most significant issue is the loss of existing green space and playing fields currently used by Lambton High School and the wider community. These fields provide valuable open space for students’ sport, physical education, and outdoor activities, as well as passive recreation for residents. Replacing them with a large stadium removes a rare area of natural relief in an already dense urban environment. Once lost, this green space cannot be replaced, and the community’s access to open fields will be permanently diminished.

Traffic and parking impacts are also unacceptable. Event crowds, training sessions, and tournaments will flood Wallarah Road and Monash Road with vehicles, overwhelming local streets not designed for such volumes. Overflow parking will spill into residential areas, creating safety hazards for pedestrians and students, particularly before and after school. Noise from games, PA systems, and late-night departures will further degrade the quiet residential character of the neighbourhood, while stadium lighting and building bulk will create ongoing intrusion.

Construction will also cause years of disruption through heavy vehicle movements, dust, and road impacts. Environmentally, the development removes permeable surfaces and trees, increasing flooding risks.

While sporting facilities are important, they must be placed in areas with the infrastructure to support them. Building on school fields and green space in a residential area is not the answer. For these reasons, I strongly object to the proposal and urge Council to refuse the application.

I STRONGLY OBJECT to the amended proposal for the Hunter Indoor Sports Centre at Wallarah and Blackley Ovals. While I support the idea of upgraded sports facilities for Newcastle, I am firmly opposed to this development being built on this site. I live less than 30 metres away from the proposed works, directly opposite the site, and my home, family and community will be directly and severely impacted. At no stage in either the original or amended proposals have I been contacted or consulted as one of the closest residents. This lack of transparency and genuine engagement is unacceptable and has left me and my neighbours completely disregarded in a decision that affects us most.

The ovals at Wallarah and Blackley are valuable community green space, used not only by structured sporting groups but also by families, children and locals for casual recreation. Removing this open space strips away a rare and irreplaceable asset. With the Broadmeadow 2050 Plan already anticipating significant increases in population, the decision to build over community green space is short-sighted and will only compound liveability issues, urban heat effects and environmental stress. Once these ovals are gone, they are gone forever.

Traffic is already a major problem in this area. Turton Road suffers heavy congestion during peak times and whenever events are held at McDonald Jones Stadium. Adding a 12-court facility with a 2,500-seat show court will make this dramatically worse. The reliance on McDonald Jones Stadium parking is unsafe and impractical, with cars stopping to cross a major arterial road — this will inevitably create more congestion and accidents throughout Broadmeadow, Lambton and Kotara. The amended plans have not addressed cumulative impacts on the road network, the lack of safe and reliable walking or cycling access, or the need for a dedicated Event Traffic and Transport Management Plan prepared by independent experts.

The flooding risks associated with this development have also not been resolved. The flood assessment fails to properly address existing and future flood behaviours, the constraints on surrounding land and roads, or the cumulative impact on peak flood levels. The Flood Emergency Response Plan remains based on assumptions and does not account for real emergency management constraints on the location. The failure to incorporate permeable surfaces into the car park to reduce hazard risks and improve water storage is an oversight that puts nearby residents, including myself, at risk.

Noise and amenity are also of serious concern. The proposal allows for operation between 6am and 11pm, which is absolutely unreasonable for a development situated so close to residential homes. As someone who works shift work serving the local Newcastle community, this greatly impacts me. The noise impacts from both indoor courts and any concurrent outdoor uses have not been adequately measured against accepted standards. For a resident, like myself, living just 30 metres away, this will mean constant disruption and an unacceptable decline in quality of life.

The amendments now on exhibition do not solve these core issues. Moving the building footprint 19.5 metres west and shifting the Turton Road driveway 3 metres south are cosmetic changes that do not address the real problems. Green space is still being lost, traffic congestion remains unresolved, flooding risks persist, noise impacts are ignored, and residents were still not consulted. The deletion of open space and half courts adjacent to the western boundary reduces recreational opportunity even further, while the increase in building height makes the structure more imposing and out of character with the surrounding area.

Finally, the Social Impact Assessment does not genuinely reflect the concerns of local residents. An amended assessment is needed that properly engages with the community and considers the very real impact of this proposal on nearby households, including the loss of safe green space, increased flooding and traffic risks, and the erosion of residential amenity.

I am not opposed to investment in sporting facilities for Newcastle, but this proposal is simply in the wrong place. It sacrifices rare and valuable community land, ignores environmental and safety concerns, and imposes unacceptable burdens on nearby residents. The amendments made do nothing to resolve these issues and, in some respects, make them worse.

I urge the Independent Planning Commission to reject this proposal at Wallarah and Blackley Ovals and instead identify a site that provides benefits to Newcastle without destroying its green space, worsening traffic, and undermining community wellbeing. Do the right thing for Newcastle and its future residents — do not allow this development to proceed on this site.

Wrong place ! Flood zone . No parking. Already used for other sports . Loss of green space . Evacuation for a high school . Less of green space!!!

I have major concerns for the parking that is needed for this project. The surrounding streets are very narrow and will not handle the amount of visitors that these basketball courts will bring. Not to mention the fact that emergency services are unable to access these homes when cars are parked on both sides of the street. It is a disaster waiting to happen.

The site is unsuitable for the following points
1) loss of green space to the community
2) current use by the Lambton High school as play area and sports ground, when the school was approved with limited play ground space a special permission was requited due to the small footprint of land available . They would have no space for recreation if the project went ahead.
3) use by the local sports team, several junior teams
4) the suggestion of transferring these teams to Ks away is impractical as no close options are available.
5) public use for games and dog walking by community members and visitors
6) flood zone beside the serious flood the area 2007 has been inundated in the last few months. Many photos are available of the recent events.
7) since the flood in 2007, the insurance for properties in the area has increased 3 fold
8) the local area is currently inundated with traffic when the Knights Stadium is in use. The traffic results in illegal parking in all the local streets, the streets adjacent to the proposed development. Evidence of the traffic congestion, illegal parking photos is readily available .
9) the local community and users of the park object to the loss of the green space and the overwhelming problems the traffic congestion has caused from exceisting sporting fixtures. The burden of additional sporting fixtures would be catastrophic.
10) the traffic and parking during current fixtures has on occasions prevented ambulance service being able to reach the patient.
11) the site was very poorly chosen and consultation with the local organisation has not happened.
12) there are inaccuracies in the net ball submission opportunities to consult with locals have not been made despite offers to do so for the organisation SOLO save our local ovals.
13) misinformation regarding the funding is either a poor calculation of naive.

The proposed Newcastle Basketball Stadium (SSD-65595459) is fundamentally flawed and unsafe. The project increases flood risks, worsens already chaotic traffic and parking conditions, removes vital green space, and exposes residents, school students and visitors to serious safety hazards. Despite amendments, the proponent continues to downplay non-compliance, omit worst-case modelling, and defer critical obligations.

1. Flooding – Runoff Impacts, Modelling Uncertainty and Policy Breach

• The development provides only 64–71% flood storage, well below the 80% minimum required under the Newcastle DCP.
• Flood modelling shows evacuation routes (Turton Rd, Duke St, Monash Rd) escalating from H4 to H5, meaning “potentially life-threatening” conditions, impassable to people, vehicles and emergency services.
• Peer review (Appendix K) confirms reliance on outdated ARR 1987 rainfall intensity data, underestimating actual flood depths. ARR 2019 standards would increase predicted flooding, making the risks worse.
• The proposed landscape and flood corridor allowance is limited to only 10 metres (Appendix F), which is wholly inadequate for a site located on a high-hazard floodplain. Best practice and Council’s Floodplain Risk Management Guidelines generally call for buffers in the order of 30–50 metres to provide safe and effective flood conveyance.
• The Flood Emergency Response Plan admits safe evacuation is not possible and proposes shelter-in-place for 2,500 people for up to 12 hours. This is unsafe and contrary to the NSW Floodplain Development Manual, which requires evacuation as the primary strategy.
• Importantly, replacing grass ovals (runoff coefficient 0.15–0.25) with concrete and carparks (0.85–0.95) increases stormwater discharge more than four-fold. On a 2-hectare site, this generates over 7,500 m³ of extra runoff in a moderate storm — three Olympic pools of floodwater released into drains already prone to overflow.
• This is a direct breach of Newcastle DCP Section 7.02, which requires developments to maintain pre-development hydrology. Instead, the project accelerates flooding into surrounding residential streets and homes.


2. Traffic, Parking and Local Safety Risks

• The proposal offers only 240 spaces for 2,500 patrons, compared to the 1,250 spaces required under Newcastle DCP. This leaves a shortfall of 1,010 spaces (80%).
• The Traffic Assessment excludes dual events with McDonald Jones Stadium (capacity 32,000) directly across the road. This is a serious omission and breaches Transport for NSW modelling guidelines, which require worst-case scenarios to be assessed.
• McDonald Jones events already cause gridlock, illegal parking in surrounding residential streets, and road closures. Adding another stadium across the road will push hundreds more vehicles into local streets during every event.
• These residential streets are narrow, not designed to absorb event overflow traffic, and will become blocked daily. This creates constant safety hazards for pedestrians and particularly for local residents and children.
• The Traffic Management Plan itself admits overflow will spread into neighbourhood streets, yet fails to assess the impact on emergency vehicle access, putting residents at further risk.


3. Loss of Green Space and Community Amenity

• The site is currently open playing fields used daily by Lambton High School students and the wider community for recreation and sport.
• These fields are also the school’s designated emergency evacuation assembly area. Their removal eliminates a critical community safety function.
• Replacing green space with hardstand surfaces worsens flooding, removes natural cooling, reduces public recreation, and strips the community of an essential shared asset.


4. Noise, Lighting and Amenity Failures

• Noise modelling (Appendix P) acknowledges exceedances at sensitive homes but dismisses them as “acceptable with management,” which is not compliant with the EPA Industrial Noise Policy.
• Cumulative effects with McDonald Jones Stadium were ignored, even though simultaneous events are foreseeable.
• Lighting Assessment (Appendix GG) admits exceedances of AS4282:1997 standards at boundaries but rebrands them “low impact.” Without enforceable mitigation, nearby residents will endure unacceptable night-time glare.


5. Environmental and Heritage Non-Compliance

• Waste Plan (Appendix Z) provides no quantification or diversion targets, breaching Newcastle DCP requirements.
• Remediation (Appendix W) identifies contamination but defers remediation to “future stages,” breaching SEPP Resilience and Hazards, which requires remediation before approval.
• Aboriginal Heritage (Appendices AA/BB) identifies potential artefacts but refuses further testing, breaching the Due Diligence Code of Practice for Aboriginal Objects (2010).
• Historical Archaeology (Appendix CC) leaves gaps that risk unrecorded heritage loss.


6. Safety and Compliance Deferrals

• The BCA Statement (Appendix T) confirms excessive exit travel distances and unresolved fire hydrant/sprinkler systems, but defers resolution to “later.” This is not permissible under the BCA for a high-capacity public venue.
• CPTED Report (Appendix S) acknowledges high crime rates but defers all mitigation measures to “future operational plans.”


7. Social Licence

The proposal faces overwhelming community opposition: 484 objections vs only 174 in support. The proponent attempts to dismiss these concerns as localised, but the volume and consistency of objections demonstrate clear absence of social licence.


Conclusion

The Newcastle Basketball Stadium is fatally flawed:
• It breaches flood storage and hydrology requirements, increases runoff four-fold, and worsens hazards to H5 life-threatening levels.
• It fails DCP parking ratios by 1,010 spaces, excludes McDonald Jones dual events from modelling, and will push traffic into residential streets not designed for such loads, creating daily safety risks for residents and children.
• It removes essential school and community playing fields and their evacuation function.
• It misrepresents noise and lighting breaches, defers remediation, fire safety, and heritage compliance, and ignores emergency access.
• It lacks social licence with overwhelming opposition.

For these reasons, SSD-65595459 must be refused.

In support of the basketball stadium just not on this site - effects too many children at LHS and soccer and cricket on those fields. Find somewhere else to build. Dont take away green areas that are utilised by so many in particular kids.

The revised plan results in a further loss of outdoor recreation space available to the general public. There is still inadequate parking and the plan relies on public transport which may not be adequate to meet the needs of large crowds. There is no consideration of what impact road closures in the area which routinely occur in an attempt to mitigate the surrounding suburb’s streets from being clogged with parked cars during events at the football stadium. The optimistic suggestion that drivers will enter and leave the basketball precinct via Turton Rd is rather simplistic and naive. Drivers will simple enter / leave the basketball precinct via established “rat runs” in the suburb of Lambton e.g. via Young Rd and Lloyd Road. This will result in traffic backed up through the streets late at night, reeking exhausts and noisy reving of engines by frustrated drivers. This happens now when there are late night events at the football stadium e.g. the Pink concert. The revised plan makes no consideration of the much touted redevelopment of Broadmeadow, this is bound to impact public transport routes and traffic flow. The traffic modeling does not appear to take into account the impact that school zones has on the flow along Lambton road, when the 40km zone is operational the traffic banks up and several green light cycles are watched before the intersection can be crossed. This may be further disrupted by the Broadmeadow redevelopment works.

I want to register my objections to the proposed location for the Hunter Indoor Sports Centre (Newcastle Basketball Stadium). I have several concerns with both the original proposal and the amended one, relating to community access for the stated users, parking, transport options, and community consultation.

Stated Users of the Stadium:
- I object that the NSW Government is supporting this proposal with funding when it serves only a small proportion of Hunter residents. The regions surrounding Newcastle are growing significantly with expected growth of 1% in Newcastle and Lake Macquarie LGA and of almost 2% in the Port Stephens, Maitland and Cessnock LGAs. (source: https://www.planning.nsw.gov.au/data-and-insights/population-projections/explore-the-data). This statistic alone begs the question as to why the State Government would contribute to a reported $60M (plus) project in Newcastle and why the government fails to encourage the proponents to locate it somewhere more easily accessible to the fast-growing regions. A site closer to the freeway or Newcastle Link Road would be more feasible - traffic movements, parking and transport could be designed from the inception of the project rather than trying to shoehorn a large development into a crowded location.
- The proposal purports to be suitable for sports other than basketball but given the proposed usage times for basketball on mid-week evenings and on weekends, it gives lip-service to this development being anything other than a basketball stadium.
- The amended proposal removes green space in favour of a 'public access' strip next to the footpath on a major (and busy) road. This is farcical that this strip of green space is an any way useful or at all suitable for public access.

Transport Options Available:
One of the DCP objectives is to “ensure that within the development, allowance for suitable allocation of transport options away from vehicle dependency addresses the nominated transport modal split”.
- The proponents state this facility is for use for the whole Hunter region, not just for Newcastle Basketball but the transport options available to this location do not meet any expectation that people could travel safely and timely from outside the local area to the site by means other than by car. There are numerous other locations that would be manifestly more suitable for the stated purpose.
- The bus services to the area are limited to only 3 destinations (as in Appendix N – Green Travel Plans), the submission states that this is a suitable method of transport for visitors to the centre. However, history has shown public transport options are inadequate for the existing International Hockey Centre and Hunter Stadium events. The public transport options are not highly used for these events and have never been due to the inadequacy of routes and frequency.
- There is no evidence that the proponent has engaged with the local bus operators to improve the existing bus services around peak training and playing times.
- Train travel to site may be suitable during the daylight hours in dry weather, but not for when the majority of training is to occur after school and work hours or in adverse weather conditions. The closest train station approximately 1.2km – 1.5 km away by foot. The shorter route being along a bike path which is inadequately lit for the purposes of walking at night, the longer route along Lambton Rd.
- I have safety concerns regarding people waiting on Turton Rd or walking to Broadmeadow station at night after training. There is no plan to ensure that people can walk to/from or wait at these locations, no indication of lighting, security or anything other than a note that the route to the station is currently signposted. When there is a rugby league game on at the stadium, there are several hundred people walking to the train station, giving safety in numbers. After a mid-week training session at the basketball stadium, there may be one or two people making this trip in the dark. I certainly would not want my teenage child walking to the station at night after training, nor wait on Turton road for up to an hour for a bus.
- Appendix N – Green Travel Plan has promoted the concept of encouraging staff to park outside the centre on public roads. Given the closest access point to the stadium will be Monash Rd, there is one footbridge to gain access to the site, which will have the effect of concentrating parking at this area. This area is also gravel, not sealed, causing noise and dust for the nearby residents.

Parking
- Reiterating issues with the Green Travel Plan in relation to parking, the proponents state this facility is for use for the whole Hunter region, not just for Newcastle Basketball but the transport options available to this location do not meet any expectation that people could travel safely and timely from outside the local area to the site by any means other than by car.
- The amended proposal does not address parking issues, rather, it explicitly states that overflow parking will be an adjacent street. These streets, as have been highlighted previously are already under strain from the Hunter Stadium and the International Hockey Centre.
- History has shown public transport options are inadequate for the existing International Hockey Centre and Hunter Stadium events. On event weekends, the streets surrounding the area are clogged with traffic, frequently to outside my house on Russell Rd which is several blocks south of the mapping provided in Figure 2.2 of the report Appendix N – Green Travel Plans. For weekday events during the school term, the parking is also limited by students and staff at Lambton High School taking up most if not all on-street parking on Wallarah, Womboin and Young Roads which is 3 of the 4 roads where the report states that on-street parking is available.

Flooding
- The amended proposal does not significantly address the issues of flooding and flood mitigation measures. As noted in Appendix C – Mitigation Measures, this is a Medium risk level for flood occurrence (the likelihood is Possible, with Extensive consequences).
- Appendix I – Flood Impact Risk Assessment states that “However, whilst not meeting the nominal storage retention specified in the DCP, the proposed development satisfies the intent of this requirement …”. As background to my concerns, the streets surrounding this proposed facility have been subject to floods and a fatality in the area in 2007, being a traumatic event in recent memory for residents. As such with the flood risk not meeting the stated requirements, this cannot satisfy needs regarding flood impacts on the surrounding (off-site) community.
- In addition, the submission states that the ground during construction will be boggy – a clear indication that the developer understands the site is a natural flood retention area for the nearby community and drains. Their solution is to use piers in construction to reduce impacts on the building itself but does not address where the water that is displaced by the building will flow. The impact of the building could instead increase the pressure on the natural underground water retention mechanisms.
- The inclusion of bollards in the car park in the amended proposal also indicates the developers have knowledge that flooding at the site is a possible and probable event, to the extent that obstructions will be put in place to prevent cars from washing into the stormwater drain. This is a clear indicator that this is the wrong site for this large development.
- The proponents have engaged a not suitably qualified engineer to review the flood plans. Quoting from Appendix K – Flooding Peer Review, the consultant states that “I am not a flood modeller and can provide no commentary on the quality of the flood modelling undertaken by Torrent Consulting and upon which both the FIRA and FERP rely.” This flooding peer review should be excluded from the submission as a cynical ploy by the developers with no genuine desire to have the modelling reviewed adequately.

Community Consultation
As of this date (26th August), the promised community consultations have not occurred. There has been no community meeting organised by the proponent, and a series of drop-in sessions have been rumoured but not highly promoted or managed to ensure adequate community representation. Should these consultations occur after this late stage in the process, it is highly likely that any meetings will be choreographed to give the appearance of representation but are rushed in order to satisfy the Planning Commission’s requirement rather than being undertaken to genuinely consult for constructive community input.

I object - please refer to my submission attached.

I strongly object to the proposed Hunter Indoor Sports Centre (SSD-65595459) on the grounds of flood risk, public safety, traffic and parking impacts, loss of public green space, and inadequate mitigation measures. Despite amendments, the proponent has failed to address critical issues identified by residents, Council, and State agencies. The project is non-compliant with Newcastle DCP flood storage requirements, transport safety principles under the Transport SEPP, and basic building safety standards under the BCA.


1. Flooding and Public Safety

• The Flood Impact Assessment (Appendix I) admits the development only achieves 64–71% of compensatory flood storage, while the Newcastle Development Control Plan (DCP 2012, Section 4.4.6) requires 80% as a minimum. This is a clear non-compliance.
• Flood modelling shows dramatic increases in hazard levels on key evacuation routes. Turton Rd, Duke St and Monash Rd rise from H4 (“unsafe for vehicles and people”) to H5 (“potentially life-threatening”). A H5 hazard classification means floodwaters are so deep and fast that no person, vehicle, or emergency responder can safely enter the area. Approving a major public facility that pushes evacuation routes into this category exposes both residents and thousands of visitors to extreme danger. For local residents in particular, this means ordinary streets that should provide safe access to and from homes instead become impassable, trapping families in life-threatening conditions.
• The landscape/flood corridor allowance is only 10m (Appendix F), which is grossly inadequate for a high-hazard floodplain. Council’s Floodplain Risk Management Guidelines generally recommend 30–50m buffers.
• The Flood Emergency Response Plan (Appendix J) concedes that safe evacuation cannot be achieved and instead proposes shelter-in-place for up to 2,500 patrons for 12 hours. This assumes uninterrupted power, sewerage and food supplies from a small kiosk — assumptions that are unrealistic in Newcastle’s flood history, where flash floods have developed within an hour and caused blackouts and sewer failures. The NSW Floodplain Development Manual clearly states evacuation, not entrapment, must be the primary strategy for high-occupancy facilities.
• Flood storage on this site currently acts as a natural “sponge.” Replacing grass with hardstand will accelerate runoff into already burdened drainage systems. Recent years have shown more short, intense downpours, which overwhelm drainage and increase the risk of flash flooding.
• Importantly, the development also removes Lambton High School’s current emergency evacuation area, leaving hundreds of students without a safe assembly point in a disaster.


2. Traffic and Parking Failures

• Only 240 carparks are proposed for crowds of up to 2,500 patrons (Appendix HH). That is 1 space per 10.4 patrons, far below the Newcastle DCP rate of 1 space per 2 seats, which would require 1,250 spaces. The shortfall is 1,010 spaces (80%).
• The Traffic Modelling (Appendix M) admits intersections already fail at LOS F without the stadium. With it, queue lengths and delays increase sharply.
• The modelling omits the most critical factor: McDonald Jones Stadium events. The stadium across the road holds up to 32,000 patrons, and traffic routinely overwhelms Turton Rd and adjoining residential streets. The basketball centre’s peak use will often coincide with these events, producing gridlock far beyond what the models represent.
• The Traffic Management Plans (Appendix O) confirm that once on-site spaces are full, vehicles will be directed into surrounding residential streets. These are narrow, one-way streets where illegal verge and footpath parking already occurs, creating serious risks for pedestrians, children, and residents.
• Emergency vehicle access is at risk. During dual events at McDonald Jones Stadium and the proposed centre, ambulances and fire services may be unable to access neighbourhood streets or the facility itself.
• Noise, headlights and pedestrian flows from overflow traffic late at night will directly erode residential amenity.


3. Loss of Public Green Space and Community Amenity

• The proposal permanently removes the grass playing fields currently used daily by Lambton High School students and the local community.
• These fields are critical not only for sport and recreation, but also as the school’s designated emergency evacuation area.
• Loss of this open space removes a vital community safety function while exposing residents to greater flood risk.


4. Safety, Amenity and Design Risks

• The BCA Report (Appendix T) defers compliance on fundamental issues:
• Stage 2 show court has most exits funnelling through a single main entrance.
• Exit travel distances exceed BCA limits.
• Fire hydrant and sprinkler placement unresolved with FRNSW.
• Events are proposed 7 days a week, 6am–11pm (Appendix HH). Noise modelling fails to account for cumulative effects with McDonald Jones Stadium.
• The Lighting Report (Appendix GG) underestimates glare into nearby homes.
• The CPTED Report (Appendix S) acknowledges existing high crime rates (vehicle theft, vandalism, assaults) in New Lambton but defers management to “future operational plans.


5. Cultural Heritage and Consultation

• The Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Assessment (Appendix AA) is incomplete. Given the swamp and floodplain history, the risk of significant artefacts is high. Proceeding without a full assessment risks breaching NPW Act obligations.


6. Inadequate and Deferred Mitigation

• Flooding: relies on shelter-in-place rather than safe evacuation.
• Traffic: shifts parking and congestion into residential streets.
• Fire safety: deferred to future performance solutions.
• Green space: loss of ovals and the school evacuation area.
• Transport: “green travel plans” are unenforceable.


7. Financial Viability Risk

The proponent’s documents are silent on funding. Public information shows government contributions fall well short of the project’s estimated cost. This creates a serious risk that the site could be left half-built or incomplete, while the community still bears the full impacts: increased flooding, worsened traffic, and permanent loss of green space. Residents face the disruption and hazard even if the promised facility is never delivered in full.


Conclusion

This proposal fails fundamental planning tests:

• Flooding: Increases hazard, fails Newcastle DCP flood storage requirements, and relies on unsafe shelter-in-place. It also removes Lambton High School’s current emergency evacuation area.
• Traffic: Provides only 240 spaces against a requirement of 1,250, forcing 1,000 cars into residential streets already gridlocked during McDonald Jones Stadium events.
• Amenity: Takes away playing fields used daily by Lambton High School and the community.
• Safety: Fire and flood evacuation issues remain unresolved.
• Finance: Funding shortfall risks a stranded, incomplete project.

On these grounds, SSD-65595459 should be refused.

I do not support the new Hunter Indoor Sports centre being built on the Turton Road location. I object to the greenspace that is proposed for the project to be used. The green space is a frequently used area of field used for a range of sports and community as a place to have recreation. It is also used by many children from Lambton High School and animals. The area also has a well used bike path adjacent to the greenspace and any development on this space will impact the safety of bike riders and pedestrians. There are significant drainage issues with the site. The biggest issue is the accommodation of thousands of vehicles which is already a residential problem when McDonald Jones Stadium is utilised for Sport and Concerts. There are many other locations that are suitable for this proposal . The sport of Basketball deserve better facilities but probably in another LGA that can provide ample space and not take limited greenspace from the Newcastle LGA which can never be returned. I implore this development in good conscious not to be approved . I am a local resident.

I am writing, again, to voice my concerns to the proposed Hunter indoor sports centre. I am disappointed that my concerns were not heard last time and it is frustrating to have to go through this process again.
My main concerns are as follows:

Impacts on the school:
As a former teacher and ex sportsmaster I have great concerns for the teachers and students of Lambton high if this project goes ahead. There will be addition costs for the families to use the facility and pay for sports when they can currently use the ovals for free. The nearest ovals available to the school require crossing a road. Arthur Edden oval, as named by the basketball people to be the nearest oval is NOT an option as it is locked. I am very concerned for the wellbeing of the teachers as this will increase their lunch time duties and, having experienced what it is like to "herd" young people from place to place I fear the extra burden this will place on the teachers.
I am concerned for the students having construction noise happening every day for 3+ years. How will this be controlled so exams and assessments are impacted? The school has 8 support classes - how will students with sensory issues cope with this level of noise?

Increased traffic and parking in my street and surrounding street:
I live 170m from the ovals and my street is one of the most accessible from the footbridge that will cross from the stadium on Monash rd side. I am a man in his 80's who has recently had a number of falls and medical episodes. When cars are parked on both sides of my street emergency vehicles can not access my home - what will happen if I need them? What if my wife becomes unwell? How will my family come to visit or support me if they can't park in my street?

Flooding risks:
Since we bought our house some years ago we have watched the drain at the end of the street overflow on more than one occasion. We have had difficulty getting home insurance as we are in a known flood zone. The flood report appendix I did not look at the risks in enough detail - they have not accurately measured the difference in flooding from the runoff that will happen when the ovals lose their natural absorption and are concreted over. I am very concerned about their response

Lack of consultation:
I am an elderly gentleman living 170m from the ovals. I did not receive an invitation to attend drop in sessions in March 2024 as stated. At no time has anyone ever consulted with me about this project. Despite living openly 170 m from the site I was not considered an "affected resident" by Newcastle basketball. This is completely inadequate. For a development this size this is inadequate

Thank you for hearing my concerns