Newcastle Jockey Club - New Stables Complex

An amazing development 'long-overdue' for the Newcastle Jockey Club. Not only will it create initial jobs during the construction phase but an ongoing legacy to the people of Newcastle and the Hunter Valley. The proposed 'State of the Art' facilities will be of significant benefit to all of the associated 'shareholders' who utilise the facilities offered by the NJC - not the least being the trainers; breeders; jockeys & general supporters of Racing in NSW. The 'old' and 'outdated' buildings; stables & infrastructure need to be demolished and the beneficiaries of the new facilities should be afforded the opportunity to move into a safe and modern new facility. Wonderful project !!

Re: NJC new stables.
Newcastle Jockey Club have for over 100 years occupied the site at Darling/Chatham streets and have always been a responsible venue manager.
This new stable complex will be a boost for the racing industry and create more employment for participants.
The current stable facilities on site are in a poor condition and below industry standard. This new structure will ensure racings future in the area and keep the Newcastle Jockey Club at the forefront of the industry.
Additionally many jobs will be created during the construction.
The NSW racing industry is one off the biggest employers in the state and this new facility is necessary to keep our employment high.
I fully support this project.
Regards,
Geoffrey Barnett………

I think this will be a great addition to the racecourse and will be a much healthier, hygienic stable area than the current old and dilapidated stabling area on the other side of the racecourse. It will increase employment in the area both during construction and on completion when more trainers will be able to use the racecourse and facilities. It will also be a safer environment for both horses and employees and the plans have been well thought out and considered. I think it will be a great asset to Newcastle in general and Broadmeadow in particular.

I have been a member of the NJC for over 20 years and as a stanch supporter of the horse racing industry, racehorse owner and proud Novocastrian I'm fully supportive of the proposed stable project. During my membership period I know that the Club has been well managed and through direct engagement with staff and directors can see competence and passion for the Club. Financial and administrative support support from Racing NSW has been excellent resulting in arguably one of the best primary racing tracks in Australia. The proposed stable project is a critical piece in the strategy to position Newcastle as a centre of regional racing excellence. While I cannot speak for the nearby residents who feel they may or not be impacted by the scale of the proposed facility, I consider that the new stable structure merely replaces the existing antiquated facility. The residents views and probably higher traffic movements on race/ trial days, in my opinion, could be the only objection. However, I'm sure consultation with nearby residents has been a focus of the planning stage. Benefits include the economic impact for the local construction industry, employment opportunities from a larger complex, better amenity for the racehorses and another positive to step to place Newcastle on the NSW and national stage as a "go to" place for horse racing.

I strongly object to the proposed NJC Stable development.
Please see attached letter.

Noise Concerns

Noise Impact Assessment

Newcastle Jockey Club Proposed Stables Development Corner Chatham Road & Darling Street Broadmeadow NSW August 2021

Prepared for Newcastle Jockey Club Limited Report No. 20-2564-R2

In acoustics report there is no mention of horses & noise generated by the activities of horses walking on metal ramps & concrete surfaces. E.g. horseshoes striking the suspended floors of concrete/ metal surfaces of first floor at 3am in the morning.

No mention of animal noise, such as horse neighs, groans, snorts roars & screams etc.

No mention of early morning sound of 10 horses walking on the each of 7 round Horse walkers.

There is no mention of car arriving at early hours of staff/individual businesses which will be engaged on taking care of 560 horses.



As per the the Operation & waste management plan prepared by NJC,

“Trainer’s staff associated with Stables: Morning Trackwork (3:30am to 8:30am): • There is an average of 1 strapper / stablehand per 3.5 horses (depends on individual trainer - some could sit at 1 staff / 3 horses, others 1 staff / 4 horses, so for calculation purposes, we will assume an average of 1 person per 3.5 horses) o This would be a maximum of 107 strappers / stablehands maximum per morning peak, assuming 1 x strapper / stablehand per 3.5 horses (107 staff x 3.5 horses = 375 horses – rounded to the nearest horse) o This does not include trackwork jockeys § Approximately 35 trackwork jockeys would be required to exercise the 375 maximum horses per morning o This does not include Trainers § There would be around 10 trainers attending trackwork on any given morning o This means morning trackwork Trainer’s staffing when a maximum of 375 horses are attending trackwork would be 152: 9 NJC Operation and Waste Management Plan for new Stable Complex § 107 strappers / stablehands + 35 trackwork jockeys + 10 trainers = 152 total”



There is no mention of the noise from the 200 cars arriving at the 2.30am to 3.30am window. As there is not enough parking for this staff on the NJC grounds, they will have to use the streets.

Acoustics report deals with Construction noises in detail but only very brief mention of Acoustic balustrade on ramps & some noise reduction strategies for plant & equipment.



In the public consultation(which was a formality & none of the concerns were followed up) we were told the stables will have openings for cross ventilation which will mean the noise suppression from animals will be quiet impossible. There is no mention of that in the report.





There need to be a detailed consultation with community & a full fledged report carried out on day to day operations of the proposed stables. Collective noise from 560 horses neighing all night & early hour starts of 3am will produce significant noise & it is unfathomable that the development is not taking the impact of operation seriously.



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Air Quality & Odours

New Stables Complex – Newcastle Jockey Club Air Quality & Odour Risk Assessment Addressee(s): Newcastle Jockey Club Ltd Report Reference: 21.1029.FR1V2 Date: 19 August 202

Northstar Air Quality Pty Ltd, Suite 1504, 275 Alfred Street, North Sydney, NSW 2060

The report has hit a few points but has managed to miss a few major issues.

The Report has rightly pointed the odour from fecal matter as a major issue but has been unable to come up with a workable solution.

The proposed solution of Lidded boxes full of fecal matter has a few holes in the logic. I will try to come up with a few.

A horse defecates 6-10 times a day. The fecal matter will stay in the stables for extended times as the operation & waste management plan states that the pick up of manure will be once a day between 9am & 2pm. It also states that the frequesncy of cleaning will be twice a day. So we the residents will be forced to smell the fecal matter when we come home after work.

This fecal matter, staying in the stables will mean odour & vermin(flies) will be transported direct from the stables through the open vent design to the noses of residents of Chatham & Darling street.

Stables are exactly in east direction of Chatham street residences. Meaning a easterly wind will most definitely come laden with odour. How can this simple fact be omitted from a report is beyond my understanding.

The report is recommending a Lidded box solution like this is some sort of cutting edge technology. This is a 18th century solution proposed for a 22nd century High rise 520 horses stable which is going to be operational for at least another 100 years(expected life of any commercial building).

During the information session a gentleman from the neighborhood of existing manure storage near Beaumont street has informed that the lids are often left open & vermin/flies are unbearable. This is despite there are only 100 horses & only ground floor operations. This solution relies on a a lot of human effort & diligence.

This needs to have more technologically advaced solution & any storage should be kept away from the residential area. Why does the NJC not look into underground storage of the manure & pump it out every day. May be the storage can be done in empty area in the middle of race track which keeps the odour away as much as it can.

As per the report, The storage of 156 bins full of fecal matter of horses is proposed to be stored 20 meters away from my residence. Each bin has a capacity of 780L. This is highly inappropriate location even if the solution will actually work. Why is the waste being stored so close to the residential area when NJC has a land holding of 48 hectares? With that sort of land holding NJC only comes second to Crown land in Newcastle city area. Surely a more appropriate location for waste storage can be found on a site this big.

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Traffic & Parking Management

Seca Solutions Report regards to

Proposed Stables with parking – Newcastle Jockey Club, Broadmeadow, NSW



The report does not attend to loss of parking due to the development of the site. The proposed area of development is currently used as parking by Racegoers. Every race day the streets get flooded with overflow of the racegoes car parking. The report should take a look at the car parking situation on Any given race day. We have attached the drone images from some of the recent race days(13 October 2019). Where will the racegoers park their cars when they come to watch the races. The attached photos are not from a big race day like Boxing day race or Melbourne Cup Race Day, but you can still see the whole proposed development area is full of cars. Please note that these cars are left there for 1-2 days as the patrons leave the area on foot or cabs/Uber etc. SO this can be a very significant traffic issue for the area.

The report also underestimates the number of vehicles arriving each day. Assuming full capacity of 520 horses. As per the the Operation & waste management plan prepared by NJC,

“Trainer’s staff associated with Stables: Morning Trackwork (3:30am to 8:30am): • There is an average of 1 strapper / stablehand per 3.5 horses (depends on individual trainer - some could sit at 1 staff / 3 horses, others 1 staff / 4 horses, so for calculation purposes, we will assume an average of 1 person per 3.5 horses) o This would be a maximum of 107 strappers / stablehands maximum per morning peak, assuming 1 x strapper / stablehand per 3.5 horses (107 staff x 3.5 horses = 375 horses – rounded to the nearest horse) o This does not include trackwork jockeys § Approximately 35 trackwork jockeys would be required to exercise the 375 maximum horses per morning o This does not include Trainers § There would be around 10 trainers attending trackwork on any given morning o This means morning trackwork Trainer’s staffing when a maximum of 375 horses are attending trackwork would be 152: 9 NJC Operation and Waste Management Plan for new Stable Complex § 107 strappers / stablehands + 35 trackwork jockeys + 10 trainers = 152 total”



On top of that there will be NJC staff required to run the operations. The traffic report is not taking into consideration the 190 strong staff which will commence work at 3am. Where will they park their cars? There is no public transport at that hour?



Pest/ Rodent Control



It was disappointing to see a one-page letter from a Pest Control company for a Multi Million Dollar project od State Significance. There is heed given to our concerns we expressed in the information session with NJC management in regard to flies, rats & cockroaches. We already have significant issue with flies in summer part of the year. I cannot start to imagine the impact of 520 horses on our doorsteps.



The one page letter does not stipulate the qualifications of the underwriter

Mr. Steve Podgorelec. It is disappointing to note that so much work has gone into the planning & lodgement but one of main concern has not been taken seriously by NJC.

Written submission – Department of Planning, Industry and Environment
Objection to the - Newcastle Jockey Club – New Stables Complex (SSD-12982045) – State Significant Development
I attempted to create an account but did not receive the verifying email. I contacted the number on your website (1300 305 695) but was told it was incorrect and she did not have the correct number and suggested I email.
I reside at 163 Chatham Street, and I write this submission to make objection to this development on the following grounds;
520 horses housed permanently in 7, 2 storey stable buildings with pools, walkers, sand roll, wash bays is unsuitable for this predominately residential area.
The current facilities already have adverse effects with noise, smells and amount of flies and mice at my property. The proposed development will only increase all the impacts as it is closer to my home, a lot more horses and trucks, and operating for more hours.
I am extremely concerned about that many horses being so close to my property for the following reasons:
1. noise from the horses and transport 24/7
2. smell of horses and manure
3. increase in flies and rodents that will be attracted
4. activity 24 hours a day will have a significant impact on residence and is not fair to people living in this area.
I work from home so it will affect my productivity as well as have an impact on my health due to excess noise, air pollution and vermin in the area carrying diseases.
Please do not allow proceed with this development on this site. A project of this size is not suitable for a residential area and the significant impact it will have on the residents in the surrounding area.
Kind regards
Rachael O'Connell

Please find attached City of Newcastle's comments on the development.

Submission attached

Dear Ms Clydsdale

I realise the submission date has passed, but I understand Mark Walmsley, Team Leader from Schools Infrastructure obtained an extension for our submission to be lodged.

You will note that this submission relates to health and safety, both during and post construction. It is our hope that you will engage with our school and address our concerns prior to development approval.

Thank you in advance for your assistance and we look forward to hearing from you.