Spaces like these are an asset to community

Better court

Better basketball facilities

I have read the proponents response to submissions and wish to highlight issues I raised in my previous submission, and the adequacy of the response:-
1. Localised flooding - I once again request that the flooding impacts be reviewed by an independent expert. The drain adjoining the development overtops in moderate to severe rainfall. The proponent has indicated that there will be an increase in flood volumes and water velocity as a result of the development. However, no reasonable stratgeies have been proposed to minimise the impacts on the residential, major traffic corridors and school users adjoining the site.

The vast majority of information in the submission response discusses strategies for the basketball stadium users including shelter on-site, suspension of events and access on foot to Womboin Rd. Shelter on site seems a reasonable strategy, however severe storm events (particualrly localised) cannot be predicted with any certainty. It would be near impossible for the sports centre to predict, cancel and inform patrons in a catchment that can take less than 30 minutes for the stormwater drains to overtop, from commencement of rainfall. I was astounded to see that walking to Womboin Rd was considered a viable option, when flood velocities have been modelled to increase and creates a large degree of uncertainty over the experience and skills of the subject experts employed to respond to submissions. The proposed swale will have negligible impact on water retention and is a water quality/ landscaping feature. The response offers no comfort to those nearby residences that have already experienced flooding.

2. Noise and disruption from construction for Lambton High. I have a daughter who will commence year 7 in 2026 at Lambton High. The noise report clearly states that Lambton High is a sensitive receiver and that the acceptable noise levels will be exceeded particularly in the early stages of construction. Once again, we see no offering of any reasonable strategies to mitigate this impact. Instead the report highights behavioural strategies for the construction workers (no loud music, no yelling etc.) I have genuine concerns that the students will be negatively impacted with construction so close (in fact it is now closer than the initial proposal). I do not believe the time period given for this disruption is realistic or that the proponent has any ability to reasonably state how long construction will take. The lack of mitigation strategies, suggests a disregard for the concerns raised previously.
3. Loss of green space and public amenity. Despite receiving numerous submissions on the concerns regarding this issue, the proponent has chosen to reduce the available public space in their response to submissions. There will no longer be publicly accessible outdoor play areas. Instead, the grass swale, is being falsely represented as green public space. This is hardly a useable area and in fact to have any water quality benefits, would need to be undisturbed to allow the plants to fully occupy the space.

Overall, it is once again a poorly considered response that seeks only to meet the ever-growing wants of Newcastle Basketball. As a resident of Lambton, a member of local sports clubs and a parent of a student who will attend Lambton High, frankly I just feel dissappointed. The process has created horrible community conflict. There has to be a better way to do this. There should be oversight of publicly awarded funds. What a horrible place this has left the basketball community and the local community.

This would be a good thing for the Hunters youthful

Very few opportunities are left for a cooler, cleaner city environment.
The open areas; of parks, of bush, of playing fields from the suburb of Wallsend through, Jesmond, Lambton, New Lambton, Broadmeadow and Hamilton are a low lying “Cool Sink” providing cooling to the city in summer.
Building on this precious land, or paving, or car parks is creating more heat, more hardship to people to live in this city.
Look to the west of Sydney for proof of a “heat sink”

To provide a future for young people is to provide a liveable environment.
To build on this precious low lying corridor is destructive.

A new facility is badly needed in the basketball community but not in this location.

I strongly object to this proposal. I recognise that Newcastle Basketball needs new facilities, but this just because there is 'nowhere else' (apparently) does not mean that this is the correct location for the HISC. The negative impacts for the greater community and Lambton High School far outweigh the potential benefits in this location. Another location that is suitable for long term strategic planning of the entire Hunter area should be considered. This location is not suitable just because Newcastle Basketball says that a new stadium is 'urgent'.
Please see attached for further comments.

- Loss of green space
I object to the mass loss this project will cause and the small strip of grass they have provided in the updated proposal is inadequate for numerous reasons which include:
- Not sufficient in assisting draining in a space that already struggles and floods in rain
- Is unusable for any sport
- Is a safety hazard – if the kids from the high school want to kick a ball on this small strip (it is far from ideal and given it’s close proximity to an arterial road, it will be easy for a stray ball to cause a car accident or worse yet have a child hit by a car while playing
- With climate change, we can not afford any further loss to green spaces

- Impact on students

As a past student of Lambton High School, I know how well used those fields are used by the students. Before school, recess and lunch, PE classes and after school – they are filled with kids multiple times a day. The school has numerous other hard surfaces and basketball courts but the fields are the only useable green space for physical activities.
I note that the proposal says there are other fields close by however to access those fields requires walking some distances and crossing roads. The time to walk there and back, coordination by teachers, grouping and supervision required to take students offsite to further afield will mean students will likely only have access to the fields during planned sport days and lessons and not during recess, lunch or before and after school.
Sport and physical activity is recognised as essential to students mental health and wellbeing.
Now that I’m a parent, this school was likely going to be where my sons would go. One of the factors when I chose their primary school was outdoor grassed facilities. I had expected that they would go to Lambton High School also but if they do not have access to these fields, I will be have to send them . If they are not at their local public school, this will also impact them and us as a family. From losing friends from primary school, additional transit time to and from school and no link between their extra curricular teams and school
- Sports teams
The local soccer teams are in high demand. We had planned on enrolling our boys but if the “local” clubs teams home games and training are not played locally then we again would not enroll them in soccer. Some suggestions have been that the club would be relocate to Beresfield which is some 20kms away. The traffic going from Lambton out to Beresfield after 3.30pm up until 6.30pm is horrendous and takes significant time. Given the push to increase housing and already approved development’s, this will only worsen in the future.

Traffic Management
I drive through this area on a daily basis, multiple times a day. It struggles with events currently, adding another facility will be catastrophic. There is insufficient parking and people flood the local residential streets with their cars, often crammed into illegal spaces and blocking peoples driveways.