This is a seriously flawed project. This location is totally inappropriate for this submission. Any proposal that removes 3 existing green spaces and fields utilised by football, soccer and cricket and also the existing nearby schools is not equitable. Another more suitable site needs to be found immediately or the decision to sell the land the existing stadium is on for housing be reviewed and looked at. This can not and should not go ahead and the sentiment of the people must be listed to here

I don’t believe that due consideration has been given to the importance of green space to the community. The ovals that will be replaced by the Centre have significant use by sporting teams which I note on most evenings when I ride past on my way home from work. I understand that the assessment of usage of the green space was completed during COVID when sporting groups were not active. I believe this assessment should be re-done.
The ovals are also utilised by Lambton High School students during school hours for PE and sports classes. There is limited other open space for use for these classes, which are so important for mental health.
The centre will also exacerbate existing traffic and parking issues for the local area. Although events are planned to be staggered with games at the stadium opposite, I believe a large portion of people will still opt for parking on local streets which are already heavily impacted by events at the stadium opposite.
I strongly feel that the use of this site for the Hunter Indoor Sports Centre should be reconsidered.

I object to the loss of the well used green space in this area.

I oppose this project for multiple reasons:
1) the area already has too much traffic and no parking during events at the football stadium, this will likely make the issue worse.
2) The green space in the area is too valuable to local schools, sporting clubs and the community
3) Recent news suggest the available funding is no where near adequate for the scope of the project. It would be devastating to waste that land on a half baked stadium.


My children play basketball and it is in my personal interest to have the stadium close to home (Kotara), however for the good of the community I think it should be further afield to allow for traffic flow and continued access to the greenspace in the area.

I think the proposed site at Glendale should be looked at again, or some of the other previously proposed sites.

Lambton is simply not the right place for this.

It’s going to cause huge traffic congestion including using the surrounding suburbs for parking overflow.
Increased crime risk with car break ins and patrons going to watch games and drinking.
Loss of green space is ridiculous. There’s so many other places this could be built or even renovate an existing building. There’s no need for this in the centre of Newcastle.
If it were a general sporting centre that would be different and people in the surrounding area could use it for all sorts.
The report that they can’t afford to construct the stadium is worrying also. If it’s approved we could end up with a half finished eyesore for years to come.

I strongly object to the Hunter Indoor Sports Centre Proposal (HISC). Although I agree the current facility of Newcastle Basketball is outdated and needs updating, I disagree that the Blackley and Wallarah Ovals are a suitable location.
My concerns are:
1. Lack of Resident Consultation
2. Loss of Community Access Green Space
3. Loss of Use of the ovals to Lambton High students
4. Loss of the community bike path
5. Flood zone risk
6. Ovals are already fully utilised
7. Parking and noise impact
8. Lack of transparency about the future funding source and risk of a half complete inadequate facility.
9. Constant lighting disturbing residents
10. Lack of clarity over use and access
1. I live 190 m from the proposed development. (Attachment 1- the site of the ovals (red arrow) taken from the road at the end of my driveway). I can see the ovals from my front garden. I was not included in the community consultation notification, (Appendix LL pg 24) and did not even know the meetings were scheduled until after they had occurred. I do not feel the residents who will be substantially impacted by this development have had an opportunity to be heard. Local community opposition has been loud and evident, but no attempt has been made to allow these voices to be heard. This will impact my day-to-day life, and it is inadequate to not be consulted prior to the Major Projects stage. In the list of Community consultation (pg. 12& 55 Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) local residents are strikingly absent. A letterbox drop to 240 residents (pg 55 EIS) is manifestly inadequate when my home is just outside of this zone.
2. Community access green space is precious and once lost, is gone forever. This project results in a net loss of green space for our community without adequate alternatives. The substantial increase in nearby residents in the Broadmeadow Place strategy makes maintaining free community access green spaces even more important. The ovals are used on a daily basis- by residents, organised sport, and Lambton High school. It is not suitable to suggest this use can be met by nearby green fields (e.g. Ford, Kentish ovals) as these spaces are already fully utilised. In addition, this proposal takes a currently free access community space with equity of access and replaces it with an access limited, cost involved facility, which overall means a net loss of community amenity.
3. Lambton High school uses the ovals on a daily basis- the students use them at recess and lunch, as well as for their organised PE and sport sessions. This is essential to meet the curriculum of NSW secondary students, as well as allowing recreation and exercise during their lesson breaks. This is essential for mental and physical health. Ongoing temporary access during construction is meaningless. The students already have access to undercover basketball courts in the covered outdoor learning area, so access to the external half outdoor court adds nothing (pg. 58-59 EIS). It is disingenuous to suggest the students could use the green spaces up the road- this changes a free access green area to an excursion requiring a parent permission note and two supervising teachers- clearly not a twice a day every day solution. As a parent of a Lambton High student, students need space and time to move their bodies for optimal health and learning. Negotiating use of an indoor space (pg 59, 64 EIS) does not replace access to outdoor green spaces. The remnant green space (pg 62 EIS) is not adequate for the number of students.
The remaining small area of green space at the front of the school is woefully inadequate for the current > 1000 students, and with increased population density in the Broadmeadow Place strategy, the school facilities need to be maintained, not reduced as the student population will climb.
4. The cycle path along the Lambton Ker-rai creek is used as a commuter bike path to the city, and John Hunter Hospital as well as a recreation track by the local community. When governments are adding cycleways to encourage bike use (Hunter Regional Plan 2041 Objective 4- connected without car-dependent communities), the loss of a chunk of this path (Figure 4 Pg 17, pg.63 EIS) does not make sense.
5. On moving from Mount Hutton to New Lambton in 2023, my Home and Contents insurance cost escalated sharply, and many insurers would not offer coverage at all. This is because of the substantial flood risk in the area of this proposal (Pg 13, 86 EIS). Many local residents have lived through flooding in this area even with the current water drainage. The ovals function as a huge sponge, slowing and managing the flow of water into the Ker-Rai creek drainage system. With the loss of this huge land mass to absorb and manage rainwater flow, and a very inadequate plan in the proposal, all of this water will quickly overwhelm the Ker-rai drainage system and substantial increase the risk of flooding in the surrounding streets. The concrete car park will not absorb or hold water (Pg 13 EIS), but instead it will run off towards local residences. For this critical reason, this green space must be maintained.
6. The identified low utilisation (Pg. 57 EIS) does not reflect current usage. The ovals have daily use of the schools, community, and organised sport, including soccer and cricket. Access to community ovals is highly contested, with local clubs turning players away as they cannot be accommodated in the current facilities. Loss of these three ovals will mean even fewer opportunities for access. As this situation exists in all the limited green space in the area, there are no unoccupied fields this can be transferred to. Children and adults should be able to train for and play community sport in their local area. (Hunter Regional Plan 2041 Objective 3- Create 15-minute neighbourhoods). With the expansion of residents in the Broadmeadow precinct, the demand for these spaces will rise.
7. The number of planned car parks (240; Page 10 EIS), as well as difficulty accessing them (Left turn only, in and out on Turton Road; Pg 77 EIS) is well under the number of car parks required for the stated number of people per hour (500+ during peak times 4-8pm daily) who will use the proposed Basketball courts. As local residents we acknowledge the impact on our narrow streets of the parking for events at MacDonald Jones Stadium- the NRL games and A- League games, as well as special events (e.g. concerts, motorbike event). The nearby Hockey International Stadium holds event days for which parking overflows into our streets. The streets are narrow- when parked legally on both sides it is difficult for emergency vehicles to access. The Stadium publishes each year a list of dates for the local residents to allow them to be aware of when these events occur- an example of good community engagement. Sadly, on most occasions, cars are illegally parked in the nearby streets, despite clear road markings. When this occurs, I am unable to gain access to my property by car as the road is too narrow to allow access. As my home is 190m from the new stadium, and the inadequate parking provisions for regular use, let alone event use, it is likely that our streets will be parked out, and often illegally parked out by users of the proposed stadium daily. In addition, the noise disturbance as patrons walk back their vehicles with bouncing basketballs potentially up to 11pm at night will mean this noise is a constant 7 day per week disturbance to residents. This situation will exist 6am-11pm 7 days per week (Pg 32 EIS).
Also of note, the proposed use of the MacDonald Jones carpark for event days by Newcastle Basketball (pg 79 EIS) is not supported by the Broadmeadow Place proposal rezoning to E2 Commercial which may result in this car park no longer existing.
The traffic impact study has no data on the impact on the local resident roads directly adjacent to the proposal such as Duke, Gloucester, Marina, Young Roads. This is essential information to consider and does not exist.
8. Where is the funding for completion of the proposed project to come from? The initial grant of 25 million, which has now reduced to below 20 million as this is the third attempt at finding a suitable site is 70 million below the final project estimate cost, without adding the cost of inflation or ongoing maintenance of the facility. There is no clarity on where the rest of the cost will come from (pg. 3 Scoping report (SR)). Less than half the project is currently funded. It is my understanding that the $15 million grant application noted on pg. 5 of the scoping document was NOT successful. This risks the final project being very much smaller and half complete, so the facility the community ends up with paying to access in place of their green fields is not what is described in the proposal.
9. The proposal has 24/7 lighting attachment to it- disturbing the local community who currently contend with lighting from MacDonald Jones Stadium and the International Hockey field. Although reduced overnight, it is never off completely (pg.69-70 EIS), adding to the pre-existing light pollution. It also makes the outdoor gym, courts, seating and gathering areas usable 24/7, potentially causing a noise disturbance.
10. Although named the Hunter Indoor Sports Centre, the project description and applicant (Basketball Association of Newcastle) clearly indicates the application is for a new basketball complex. I note the application contains Mezzanine level function rooms. What are these rooms planned to be used for, and how often? Will this add to the impact on the local community? No transparency is available as to the full use of the proposed development.
Overall, the improved amenity to the members of Newcastle Basketball is far outweighed by the negative impacts of this proposed development and I recommend this proposal be declined and an alternative site for the development be sought.
Dr Shaylee Iles
23rd October 2024

Although I fully support a Sports Centre for Basketball plus sports like Futsal it should not be built here. It’s not fair to build in a place that takes away from other community people & services, as well it’s detrimental to the safety & quality of life for residents. I & so many others object to it being built in a location because-
*Current ovals used by public for exercise for other sports - soccer, cricket, local schools. Why is basketball more important? Why are their facilities being proposed to be removed?
*Traffic & parking already an issue in this area with NRL stadium, centre excellence, hockey etc. This will also adversely affect the residents accessing and parking at their homes
*Green spaces scarce & important in built up city areas so should not be further limited
*History of Flooding is an issue in the area & this will make it worse

There is a sports precinct at Glendale with National quality facilities at the Hunter Sports Centre. There is vacant land near this where there is an old disused overgrown sports oval. Glendale is only 15 minutes from Broadmeadow. Also loads of land near Costco & Bunnings area at Boolaroo

The location of the proposed basketball stadium is not appropriate due to existing heavy traffic in the immediate area, existing severe lack of parking, loss of the fields to a number of other sports, overshadowing of the school and a complete lack of parking in an already overloaded area. The immediate vicinity has the largest sporting ground in the Hunter, hockey fields, soccer grounds, knights football centre and other commercial businesses which rely on customers to be able to park. A more suitable option would be to redevelop the existing site of the basketball stadium. This is already in use for this purpose so does not impact other users and is very close to the broadmedow train station. An alternative site could be the former nearby former gasworks site. The basketball community needs a new stadium however this is not the correct location. Additionally there is no sufficient funding in place to actually complete the project. It is short by many millions of dollars