This stadium is a long time coming - let’s just get it done.

I am writing to formally object to the proposed Hunter Basketball Stadium development for the following reasons:

1. Loss of Green Space and Impacts on Lambton High School
• Loss of playing fields: Lambton High School students will lose access to essential playing fields. Nearby ovals have already been confirmed by the school as unsuitable alternatives due to their distance.
• Mental health impacts: Classrooms will face a large, blank stadium wall rather than greenery. Research consistently shows that access to green space and natural vistas supports mental wellbeing. Replacing these fields with a massive brick structure risks creating a “prison-like” environment for students, with extensive concrete and minimal greenery.

2. Parking and Transport Concerns
• I regularly attend events at McDonald Jones Stadium and have firsthand experience of existing parking pressures. Adding a high-capacity basketball venue next door will significantly worsen congestion when events occur concurrently.
• Public transport and shuttle services from Beresfield and surrounding suburbs are already inadequate for large events, making this a serious access and safety concern.

3. Displacement of Sporting Activity
• The proposal shifts sporting use from Lambton ovals to Beresfield and Tarro without transparent consultation.
• There has been no meaningful communication with local residents about how this affects both formal competitions and informal recreation.
• “Underused” fields are often well utilised for casual activities such as children kicking a ball around, which council capacity estimates fail to recognise. This applies equally to Lambton residents and to Beresfield locals who may lose their own informal access.

4. Financial Viability
• I question whether Newcastle Basketball has the financial resources to complete and maintain this project. There is a genuine risk of an unfinished or abandoned facility, similar to issues seen at the Cedar Mill development in Morisset.

5. Hunter Park and Cumulative Green Space Loss
• The broader Hunter Park plan will bring thousands of new residents to an area already short of open space.
• Preserving every possible piece of green space is critical for community health, recreation, and climate resilience. This stadium does the opposite.

6. Flooding and Environmental Risk
• The site is prone to flooding, and large-scale construction will increase impermeable surfaces, exacerbating flood risks both locally and downstream.

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Conclusion
This proposal threatens community wellbeing, student mental health, local sport, and environmental resilience. It appears to proceed without adequate consultation or a convincing plan for parking, transport, or financial sustainability. I urge council and relevant authorities to reject or substantially reconsider the Hunter Basketball Stadium development.

I would like to object to development application HISC SSD-65595459 at the proposed location due to the following points.
• Increased traffic to HISC will impact local roads. There is already traffic congestion when events are held at McDonald Jones stadium. With increased traffic it will become more difficult for emergency vehicle access in particular from Lambton fire station. Noting that the Geotechnical investigation is assuming 200 cars per day would be accessing the site, this is a big daily increase and together with the numbers of cars that already access McDonald Jones stadium on various event days will likely have a large impact on the local area when both stadiums hold events. The hockey site also draws many cars to the area. Would it not be better to have the HISC at another location that is not already impacted with traffic congestion.
• Flooding – local streets and properties are already impacted. Drainage is already at capacity in rain events or just heavy rain times. Drains currently get blocked or partially blocked in rain. Once the storm water drain fills the drains cannot cope. At our property the toilet will not flush until the water has gone down. This can be for quite considerable lengths of time-even days. This is likely to occur more frequently with the proposed development. Street flooding has occurred in 2025 for Turton and Young Rd. Run-off from the development will add to this and it is likely flooding will occur more frequently. Examining the Hunter Indoor Sports Centre Flood Impact and Risk Assessment, I don't think this has addressed the potential impact to the drainage system and surrounding streets enough. Looking to the recent National Climate Risk Assessment government report, I think choosing another site with less impact to the community in these future likely extreme weather and hazards would be better for integrating risk reduction.
• Green space loss has a major impact. Considering the new corridors to rail stations allowing an increase in higher density housing, minimizing green space would have a large negative impact on people living in these areas. This will occur in the area for Broadmeadow station.
• From the geotechnical report it is noted that piers need to be taken to 8metre depth because the area is not suitable for shallow footings and that the site has high groundwater level at around 1-3metres and works below this depth may require dewatering measures. Will there be impact on neighboring properties through the water table of balls bouncing? Will these items add costs to the project? Also the geotechnical report noted the site is comprised of highly expansive clay (H2 classification) and likely require piers or other structural measures to prevent excessive movement of the footings and floor slabs. Increased associated costs to the development, together with flooding effects, surely another location without these problems would be preferable.

I am writing to object to the Hunter Indoor Sports Centre due to the following reasons.
The proposed site is a flood prone area and with changing climate, rising sea levels and lack of grass areas to take onboard the excess water during rain, this will be detrimental to the surrounding residents as our house are more at risk of being flooded due to the larger concrete surface area.
I am concerned that there has not been much community consultation and when they have organised times for the consultation it has been during times which are not accessible to people who are working, or they change the time or length of the meeting with very little notice.
I am concerned that there will be increased traffic incidents especially on Turton rd , Monash Rd and Walllarah Rd when there are multiple events on at the same time, for example the football , hockey and soccer are on at the same time. As there is only one entry to the HISC from Turton road, people travel from the north on Turton road are likely to perform a u-turn at the Monash Rd turning bay, or they will increase parking congestion in the surrounding streets, with people not respecting the residents as they park and when they are returning to their cars at late hours. People trying to access the car park for the HISC are also likely to perform u-turns on Monash rd which will add to congestion in the area.
Lambton High School will be affected as they loose their fields for sports, lunch breaks and as their evacuation rally point. If the centre goes ahead, they will need to move to Ford Oval which puts increased pressure on the teachers at the school as they will need increase staff for supervision as the children access the oval across a busy road.
The changes to the HISC has decreased the amount of green space for the public to access in their plan is proposed close to both Monash and Turton Rds which causes more of a risk for families with younger children being closer to the passing traffic.
I strongly believe that the proposed site of Wallarah and Blackley Ovals for the complex is not the right place for it to be built especially if the Newcastle basketball predictions of growth do come to fruition they will outgrow their new proposed complex . Having the HISC here will add to the growing traffic in the area, especially when there are events on at the stadium, the proposed new site of the entertainment centre as well as the hockey. I urge Newcastle Basketball to find a new site for their proposed building.
Below are photos of flash flooding from a storm in July 2020.