Good for the community.
No alternative for lots of sporting communities

I object to the proposed Hunter Indoor Sports Centre at Wallarah and Blackley Ovals, New Lambton. While supporting indoor sports facilities, this location presents significant community impacts that contradict the claim of "no adverse environmental, social or economic impacts."

Key Objections
1. Educational Impact on Lambton High School
The ovals serve 1,200 students for PDHPE curriculum, recess/lunch activities, sporting events, and emergency evacuation. Proposed alternatives are inadequate:
Arthur Edden and Harker ovals are locked with no access agreements
Alternative sites require dangerous road crossings
Indoor access cannot replace outdoor green space benefits
Construction noise (7am-6pm) disrupts all school days, particularly affecting 8 special needs classes with noise-sensitive students
Flood risk increases from 0.1-0.2 m/s to 0.3-0.7 m/s in school's covered area

2. Traffic and Parking Problems
Basketball operations (4-9pm weekdays, 500 visitors/hour) coincide with peak commuter and school pickup times. Major concerns include:
No updated traffic assessment despite claims roads can cope
Overflow parking for 1,700 people directed to narrow residential streets (Monash Road, Gloucester Avenue, Marina Avenue)
Emergency vehicle access blocked when cars park both sides
Dangerous left-in/left-out access forces traffic through residential areas
Monash Road lacks footpaths, creating pedestrian safety risks
Transport NSW opposes boom gates, yet ticketing systems risk similar queuing issues

3. Financial Viability Concerns
Total cost exceeds $90 million with only $22 million available
$68 million funding gap with no secure pathway
Contradictory information about extending lease 10 years versus 2028 vacation requirement
Risk of years of construction disruption with uncertain completion
Stage one approach may leave community with incomplete facility

4. Community Impact Assessment
The proposal fails to demonstrate public benefit outweighs impacts:
Permanent loss of community green space used by 1,200 students daily
Residential amenity degradation through traffic and parking overflow
Safety risks from increased flooding and traffic conflicts
Construction disruption during critical educational periods
Burden on local streets and emergency access

5. Superior Alternative Available
Hunter Park sporting precinct offers better outcomes:
Strategic alignment with regional planning
No disruption to established educational facilities
Superior traffic access and parking capacity
Broader community benefit without compromising existing assets
Avoids flood-prone site issues

Conclusion
This proposal prioritises one sporting code over broader community needs. The substantial funding shortfall, inadequate impact mitigation, and dismissive approach to legitimate concerns demonstrate poor planning practice.
The development would permanently compromise educational services for 1,200 students, create ongoing safety and amenity issues for residents, and remove valuable community green space - all for a facility that may never be completed due to funding constraints.

Recommendation: Refuse the application and redirect efforts toward the Hunter Park alternative that delivers sporting infrastructure without sacrificing existing community assets.

Playing basketball for some 30 plus years in Newcastle, I have seen the current stadium deteriorate significantly overtime. To the point where it’s the only indoor sport I’ve heard that needs to be cancelled due to rain. Further to that the courts are extremely slippery when rain occurs making it very dangerous to play on.
The current insulation is falling from the roof and is no longer effective making it extremely hot during the hotter months causing extreme discomfort not only for players but supporters as well.
Basketball is growing significantly in the area and it would be great to see a WNBL team get up and running and to do this a bigger stadium is required. Not to mention the success of the NBL1 woman over the past years, they deserve to excel to that next level.
The area is in high needs of a new facility as the current one is extremely outdated and becoming beyond repair.

As a resident of New Lambton, someone who drives along Turton Road daily and as the parent of a Lambton High student, I object to the location of the proposed basketball centre. The location chosen will place disruption to already high traffic area, it's in a flood zone, it will remove valuable green space that is used for sport by Lambton Football Club and Lambton High School.

I support the proposal for a new basketball stadium as this is needed within the community. The location of this stadium is in the wrong place so I cannot support this submission based on the proposed location. I appreciate the long term planning of co-locating sporting precincts near each other and wonder why the old gasworks site on Chatham Road in Hamilton North isn't being considered for this project.

There is strong community objection to this proposal, purely based on the location. I do encourage Planning NSW listen to the local community, reject the current proposal and recommend that an alternative location is sourced for this project.

The new indoor basketball stadium would be great for the Newcastle community.

We need a new stadium

This is definitely a much needed facility for the Hunter region.

This is very significant and important infrastructure for Newcastle.
It is difficult to imagine any better location for the indoor sports stadium where it can be in a central location, adjacent to other sporting infrastructure, with good public transport, cycling access, and car parking, and not taking up land suitable for housing. Taking up some green space is disappointing but there is other significant green space within easy walking distance.
It does not seem reasonable that Newcastle not have an indoor sports centre and it does not seem likely a better location will be found. Other alternative locations discussed, in fact, seem to raise more issues.
The proposal appears to address the concerns raised to the extent it is reasonably possible. I am therefore supportive of the proposal.

I support the Basketball Stadium proposal

I have played basketball all over Sydney, including western Sydney, the shire and the hills district. Basketball is both more popular here, and our stadium is x10 worse! We desperately need this with kids not even able to get into a team because our current facilities are one of the oldest in the state and can't accomodate anymore players. It's an embarrassment to Newcastle. Even worse, kids slipping while they're playing. This would be an enormous upgrade to our sporting facilities in the greater Newcastle region, and a massive positive for the city and the community. There are 8 other sport fields within roughly a 1km radius + lambton park is right around the corner, seems a no brainer to me.