I strongly object to using green space for this type of project. We need to preserve what little green space remains in urban areas. The State Governments plan for this site is nonsensical, given there are a range of other options which don't risk the importance of our parks.

I am writing to submit my OBJECTION to SSD-65595459 Hunter Indoor Sports Complex (HISC) for the reason below.

Loss of green space
When the COVID pandemic happened, we all learned how valuable green, open spaces were. During lockdown, the community could only exercise in public outdoor spaces, and we saw so many of them walking around parks and ovals. When lockdown eased and people could meet outdoors, we and so many people met our loved ones in parks, ovals, and fields. Wallarah and Blackley Ovals are local fields for the residents of Lambton, New Lambton, and their surrounding suburbs. See Figure 1 in attached document showing the members of the community in Wallarah and Blackley Ovals enjoying an Elton John concert in McDonald Jones Stadium.

According to the draft Broadmeadow Place Strategy, there will be up to 20,000 new homes for 40,000 people through medium (such as apartments) and low density housing in the precinct across the road from Wallarah and Blackley Ovals (https://www.planning.nsw.gov.au/news/community-invited-have-their-say-future-broadmeadow). However, there is no extra green space allocated for this major development, besides the existing green fields. The previous NSW Planning and Public Spaces Minister Rob Stokes said that the pandemic has underlined the crucial importance of amenity within and around our homes, and access to green public spaces is so important to our wellbeing (https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/arbitrary-metrics-government-and-developers-face-off-over-green-space-20210924-p58ukc.html).

According to the NSW Government’s Adapt NSW strategy, incorporating green spaces into urban areas will help balance temperatures and reduce the urban heat island effect (https://www.climatechange.environment.nsw.gov.au/home). It does not make any sense to remove precious existing green space.

According to the Public Open Space Strategy, public open space, which includes parks, sports grounds and courts, and recreation trail for walking and cycling, is the foundation of liveable communities (https://www.planning.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-06/public-open-space-strategy-for-nsw.pdf). Public open space play an important social and cultural role in our lives, and are beneficial for and not limited to organised and informal recreation, healthy lifestyles and happier people, community participation and engagement. One of the objectives of this strategy is to recognise public open space as infrastructure that is essential for creating great places to live and supporting healthy and active lifestyles, and recognise access to public open space as fundamental to supporting healthy and active lifestyles for people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds.

The proposed HISC will remove valuable public open space, and remove community access to informal recreation and exercise. In Appendix II (Social and Economic Assessment) section 5.2.2, there was a disclaimer that the HISC will meet the needs of Newcastle Basketball Association members. But it failed to report on the detrimental impact on members of the community. In Newcastle Basketball’s initial presentation to Lambton High School, it was stated that there would be 3000sqm of space left at completion of the full development (Figure 2 in attached document). However, as Figure 3 in attached document (from Appendix I Landscape and Report Plans) shows, there is not a significant amount of green space available to students and the community, only 733sqm of open space, approximate 2% of the proposed site.

The lack of access to suitable facilities inhibits the opportunity for many residents to participate in physical activity and sport and excludes them from associated health and social benefits. This statement is true. The proponent claims that HISC will create a social hub that promotes and supports health and wellbeing. However, Newcastle Basketball members themselves petitioned the organisation to reduce their registration and session fees, due to an increase in fees in August 2024 to an exorbitant $40 per game per player, and therefore, participation in basketball socially is cost-prohibitive (https://www.change.org/p/make-social-competition-fees-affordable-in-newcastle-basketball-association). This facility is excludes participation of the older population and pensioners due to the high intensity of the sport of basketball and the costs involved, compared to this demographic being able to use the ovals and fields when there are no organised sports running, and at no cost to them.

I believe the loss of green, open spaces is really detrimental to the physical and mental health of the community, especially of the older population. I do not agree that Wallarah and Blackley Ovals are the right location for the proposed Hunter Indoor Sports Centre.

To Whom it May Concern,
Please see the attach document against the proposed Hunter Indoor Sports Centre on Wallarah and Blackley Ovals New Lambton.
Kind Regards
Kathleen Brewis

I fully support this project. Currently there isn't enough space available for kids to play indoor sports, specifically basketball. Kids that want to play often can't and have to be turned away as there aren't enough courts. It's my opinion that any child that wants to play sport should be able and encouraged to. The government needs to provide adequate facilities to accommodate this.

I have played indoor basketball for the past 32 years. The current stadium facilities have not been updated greatly since I commences playing many years ago. I have travelled with my daughter for representative sport and although Newcastle is an ever growing city the indoor basketball facilities are by far the most run down in the region and in desperate need of an upgrade. The younger generation has many teams eager to play but the kids constantly miss games because of poor court quality and families have to travel to different locations to use private school indoor courts as the current stadium does not have enough courts available. The court sizes are also not to scale which is not ideal. A new facility is well overdue and as the stadium caters for other sports being volleyball, cheer competitions, pickle ball etc. These sports would also gain allot of benefit from the new facilities.

For 3 generations we have played basketball at the Newcastle stadium, but over the year the courts and capacity have been lacking and a new modern facility is required to encourage participation in a fantastic sport that brings community together

I am 100% supporting the new Newcastle basketball facility. A facility like this services 1000’s of community members. This facility can be used in all weather conditions and attracts outside communities which in turn brings new money into our community. This facility is a very much needed in a rapidly growing sport.

Dear Major Projects,
I am not usually one to protest a project but for this one I must. The proposed construction of the hunter indoor sports centre will dramatically affect the people and area of Lambton leaving the area worse off. I have no disagreement with the case for the stadium but i disagree with the proposed location. Already we have lost land that my families and schools have played on to the knights centre of excellence, wests bowling club, fencing off of arthur eden oval for soccer and the quick procurement of grassed land for netball, skate park and playgoround will have a number of effects on reducing areas children and families can play and be healthy. My protest is on the basis of a number of arguments (not in order):
1. Playing surfaces for the general public - Blackley and Wallarah oval are used year round by sports teams (cricket, soccer etc) and are a great area for families and school students to gain much needed exercise.
It must be remembered that with ovals and newly acquired areas used by wests, the cricket oval at Arthur Eden, soccer and cricket (lambton oval) and rugby fields/netball (Ford oval) this is the only ovals left on busy weekends for families and older users to use safely it is flat and easily waled around.
2. Health and obesity - children need areas to play and removing areas and access will encourage illness
3. once it is developed it is lost forever
4. Parking proposed parrking will not work as the stadium is used year round for soccer, football, gokarts, gym , minigolf, overflow for events at the hockey part and not to mention other activites (concerts, seminars and trainign that all occur at mcdonald jones stadium).
5. Water both ground and surface water flow down hill from lambton park through the parklands (lambton park, ford, arthur eden, wallarah and blackley ovals) of which accept huge volumes and absorb it into the ground, already surface water can flow over these grounds into the channels on either side. On numerous occasions these have over flowed and yes there has been deaths form people swept into the drains. If a large concrete structure is placed at the lowest point of absorption it would follow that surface water would increase in these areas potentially flowing over the road and flooding residents, stadiums and Turton, Lambton and Griffiths roads. This has already occurred with storms on multiple occasions (I am certain NSW police Waratah could inform you of the number of times road closures occur to Newcastle city and other areas from natural events). with a concretes structure and road this would reduce absorption and make everything worse. I can only state that with global warming worsening and storms increasing in intensity this would be a disaster, and I feel that if the ares became flooded the cost of refurbishment to he stadium occurring routinely would be an unexpected cost.
6. finally aesthetics- this is part of a green belt running through a local area that makes it so nice to live in. Multiple sites around are being gobbled up by development meaning this area is one fo he few sites left everyone can enjoy. For the future of people who will use this parkland please do not develop it.
So I am totally against this plan and request it be ceased and moved to a different area. Lambton already has so many sports that when roads are closed due to multiple events we just can't have any more.
sincerely

Brett Ireland