Please see attached documents for my objection.
Mario D'Amico

Please find below my concerns and comments associated with this application.

LOSS OF PUBLIC GREEN SPACE
The Hunter Indoor Sports Centre (HISC) will be destroying 3 sporting ovals that are currently well utilised.
The proposal seems contrary to Paul Scully’s position “remains committed to having more public, green space”.
Given the increased population associated with the Broadmeadow Strategy, where will the current and future population access
public green space. Once destroyed, it is irreplaceable.
I do currently use the 3 ovals for recreation, as do many others.

LAMBTON HIGH SCHOOL (LHS)
I was a past student at LHS as were my 2 children.
The ovals were regularly used for PE and lunch time sports. LHS currently lease the ovals for these uses as well as an evacuation point. The ovals being in immediate proximity make their use practical. The alternatives that HISC are proposing will not provide a practical alternative. Noting, Arthur Edden Oval is being touted as one alternative because of its proximity to LHS, but it is fenced and the home ground to the Lambton Jaffas who participate in the Northern NSW Premier League. They will limit the availability to their ground to maintain a high-quality playing surface.
With the growth of LHS over the years, green space within the school boundary has been sacrificed. This makes the green space amenity the 3 ovals currently provide even more important.
With the removal of phones at NSW Schools (which I support), the availability of green space will be more in demand as the students move away from being phone zombies, there will be an increase in demand for green space as a healthy alternative.
I hope any review will provide teachers of LHS to be able to make submissions. I understand they are currently prohibited to comment and raise their genuine concerns.
The increased population from the Broadmeadow Strategy will increase LHS school population and increase the demand for green spaces.

PASHA STORM JUNE 2007
During this storm the water level rose to the bearers and joists in my property at Rex Avenue New Lambton, I was fortunate. Any slight change in the flow of flood water will have significant impact on my Rex Avenue property. Raising the level of the 3 playing fields to “flood proof” the proposed HISC could have catastrophic impact on Rex Avenue and neighbouring properties.
My property insurance is now more than $4,800. If HISC negatively impacts on the current flood levels of Rex Avenue and the neighbouring streets, Insurance will become unaffordable. Will the HISC compensate the residents?
The HISC will exacerbate the flooding on existing roads. Significantly impacting traffic flow.

CYCLE WAY
Increasing foot traffic leaving HISC across the Cycle Way parallel to Monash Road will be dangerous for both cyclists and pedestrians. There have been serious injuries to pedestrians leaving the Hockey Centre.

INADEQUATE PARKING
This proposed building of the HISC will exacerbate traffic challenges when events are held at MacDonald Jones Stadium.
The HISC assessment that each car would carry 4 to 5 people, is simply wrong. This means the calculation of required parking is grossly understated. Traffic will overflow into the nearby streets. I hope the review process will have a thorough review of the parking demands and impacts to the neighbourhood.
To say events will be co-ordinated between MacDonald Jones Stadium, The Hockey Centre and HISC is false. It doesn’t happen now. The NRL will schedule games irrespective of what is happening at the Hockey Centre at that time, and this will also apply to the HISC.
To rely on overflow parking using MacDonald Jones car park as an alternative is flawed. Basketballers will park in the closest spot. The risk to residents is this will default to the nearby streets. Also, with the proposed increase in concerts and other events at MacDonald Jones Stadium the overflow option will not be available more frequently, again impacting residents.

GENERAL IMPACT ON RESIDENTS
The HISC can operate to 11pm 7 days a week. This will mean that basketballs will be dribbled around the streets at all hours. These streets are generally quiet apart from the occasional late NRL Game. HISC proposal will have a 7 day a week impact on residents.
There has been a late inclusion of outdoor basketball half courts, this will have an impact of lighting and noise to nearby residents.
The surrounding streets are not wide. With the expected increase in street parking, there is a significant risk that Fire Appliances will struggle to get quick access to a house on fire.
The traffic report seems to exclude impact on local streets.

GENERAL CONCERNS
There is an outstanding land claim on Wallarah Oval, how will this impact the HISC proposal?
Where is the $90m coming from to build the HISC? Surely it can’t proceed without funding being guaranteed?
There has been no genuine consultation with Lambton Residents!

Please find attached my objection to the project

The land being subsumed by this project is used by a number of clusters of people. The users include cricket, soccer and rugby league players, dog walkers, family groups recreating, people training for sports, people playing social sports games, picnic-goers, and Lambton High School PE students. This is a well-used piece of open space which is essential to be kept for the future as the population of Newcastle grows substantially as in the State planning documents.
The prosed Centre is a Basketball Centre, not a multi-sports centre as in the name. There are other venues for indoor sports (Futsal, Netball, Cricket) in Newcastle. Whilst Basketball is a valid and growing game, it is only a small sport compared to the above named sports. Also, it needs to be noted that entry to the proposed Centre will be not be free, but the publics' recreational use of the sports fields is. City of Newcastle ratepayers understand that the Council maintains these grounds (at a high quality) and there is a recurrent cost for this built into the Council budget.
There needs to be concern about the company structure of the proposing entity Newcastle Basketball Association. Are they a for-profit or not-for-profit organisation? If they are for-profit, will they implement expensive entrance and usage fees to satisfy their shareholders? If they are not-for-profit, who will take on the financial risk if the project runs out of funds before completion, or if the entity is poorly managed after completion? Will it be Newcastle City Council ratepayers? Will it be the State Government?
Why take a well-utilised and low-maintenance parcel of open space with is essential fo public health, well-being and family enjoyment of Newcastle residents on the basis that land is required somewhere for high density housing (is it social housing?). Why ruin something good just because a fix is needed somewhere else.
There are many issues with this project and it needs to be rejected.

As a family that participates in Newcastle Basketball activities, we support the development of the new facility. The existing stadium is at end of life and isn’t large enough. It’s not fit for purpose in terms of toilet and hospitality facilities, change rooms, scoring equipment and displays, or accessible thoroughfares and seating for spectators to safely come to watch a game.

The existing poor facilities are putting local kids at a disadvantage and reducing their chance of playing sport. We see the proposed location in the recognised local sporting precinct (that includes hockey, soccer, football etc) as a good choice.

Newcastle is good at preserving green space - we value the local parks and sporting grounds and see that there will still be many if the stadium is to go ahead - there will be green space literally across the road. We understand the the Lambton HS principal is carefully negotiating access to the facility, which will compensate for one less green space for the high school's use for events and activities.

Basketball is experiencing a surge in interest and we understand that Newcastle clubs are turning away players. It’s a shame that those players miss out on the enjoyment, exercise, social connections and benefits of joining and working together as a team.

We know that many people are anxious, isolated and unwell from too little activity. We need more places where community and sporting groups can access affordable, safe and welcoming facilities to bring more of us together more often. It would be a shame and embarrassment if Newcastle lost funding for a replacement stadium because it couldn't agree on the location and need for this indoor sports facility. And it would mean that the 1000s basketball, volleyball and pickleball players would have to find an alternative sport or league, which would divert local talent to other places.

We watched a similar consultation scenario play out in Castlemaine, Victoria where we used to live, where community disagreement resulted in an proposed indoor swimming pool being cancelled. Consequently many now take their talent, money and families to Bendigo to participate in swim sports. No one benefitted in our community from this outcome.

We moved to Newcastle from interstate recently as a basketball loving family and were really excited to hear that a new facility was imminent. We strongly support the project, as proposed.

This project, in my opinion, was poorly considered in the original planning stages through the relevant bodies. I have a unique insight into the usage of the fields, being the former Administrator for the Newcastle Junior Cricket Association, as well as working within two other sporting bodies.
The flow on effect of moving the current tenants of the fields to outer areas, produces a further flow on effect, which places teams up to 25-30 minutes away from their current playing and training facility. The suggestion from some bodies that these particular fields are underutilised is intentionally misleading or uneducated.

One issue, which is of significant frustration to me with the proposal in the stages that it is, is the current amenity block at the location. I have lobbied Newcastle Council for 10 years to have updated facilities at a nearby field, with no success. The Wallarah amenity block is relatively new, is satisfactory for usage within the women's sporting space, and has both significant shade and storage areas.
It would be a complete slap in the face to all users of local grounds, almost all of whom have completely inappropriate facilities, to have this one torn down.

I live within about 1 km as the crow flies from the grounds, so will let the residents closer to the venue comment on the traffic scenario, as well as the chronic flooding issues which already burden the grounds themselves and the surrounding areas.

My daughter, who is currently in Year 11 at the adjoining Lambton High summed the proposal up herself when I initially told her about it. Her response, "Why do so many people who are supposed to be smart make so many stupid decisions".
The school is a significant user of the facility during regular school hours, and I am aware that The Public School Sporting system uses Wallarah on regular occasions for official school cricket competitions.

In short this is a unique facility, which caters to various demographics, sporting and leisure, on a 7 day a week, 52 weeks a year basis. The suggestion, as I raised earlier, that it is underutilised, in completely lacking in any factual basis.

I speak now from a purely personal basis in that the memories I hold as both a player and parent on that facility are significant, and I am certain many people in the community have their own nostalgic recollections. Whilst I concede this is not an issue genuinely up for debate in the argument I raise it merely as an addendum.

I am sincerely hoping an alternative is found for the stadium, which I have heard no one disputing is needed. Unfortunately, I am firmly of the belief that the original decision to place the Stadium at this location was in some facets politically motivated rather than based on logic and community consultation. I have faith that the current decision makers will re-consider and look to utilise a more appropriate venue, of which numerous have been identified in both this, and the surrounding LGAs.