Lambton parks and playing fields are an important part of what makes Lambton such a beautiful place to live and work. Removing these will have a significant negative impact on the health and well-being of local residents.
Further to this, there are numerous issues with parking, traffic flow and traffic control already on this road, being such an important thoroughfare for many Novocastrians. Adding further amenities on this street will further degrade access.

I object to this proposal as the proposed location for this development is entirely unsuitable for many reasons. Firstly, it raises tremendous concerns for the safety of the students and staff at Lambton High School, who use it as an evacuation point. The high school also uses the fields for sports and other activities, which is vital as the school is surrounded by housing and major roads. The students need this space, which is easily accessible from their school. They don't need to cross roads to access it now. It needs to be retained for their use and safety.
Secondly, the area is already incredibly congested. Adding in further traffic from a basketball stadium will make it very difficult for local residents. Parking is also very concerning. The plans show very insufficient parking. If you go past the current stadium when basketball games are on, you see there are cars EVERYWHERE – the current carpark is full, the field next to it is also full and all on street parking in the surrounding streets is full. Each child playing is driven to basketball by a parent. A quick break down of the issue: Players: With 12 courts and 12 players per team (5 on the court and 7 substitutes), that would mean 144 players if all courts are in use. If each player arrives in a separate car, that alone would almost entirely fill the 146 spaces. Coaches and Officials: Adding coaches, referees, officials, café workers (at least 2-3 per game), you could see another 24-36 people needing parking spaces. Spectators: Even if a small number of spectators attended, like grandparents, parking is clearly insufficient. Newcastle is not well known for its use of public transport, we drive up here. There is no train service close to the proposed site. The buses aren't adequate either. Particularly concerning is when there will be an event on at McDonald Jones stadium at the same time. The parking situation around the stadium during games and concerts is already dire and the local residents suffer the consequences now. A basketball stadium would make the situation even worse.
Thirdly, the proposed stadium is right next to a storm water channel which will flood it. That is a guarantee, the only unknown is when it will happen. Grassed areas absorb water and lessen flooding events. It makes no sense to build something when you know it will be flooded. We know with climate change that storm events will increase, that is also certain. Newcastle has suffered through many east coast lows in the past. I don’t want my tax dollars spent on a substantial development which will be damaged in coming years, and who knows how much insurance will cost.
I will support a new basketball stadium being built in a suitable location, but the proposed location is entirely unsuitable. The former Newcastle Council should not have supported it, and have now been booted out in the recent Council elections. The new Mayor does not support this development in the proposed location. The development needs to be rejected and a new site found.

This will be a great development for the area and the health of the people surrounding it.

I am writing to submit my OBJECTION to SSD-65595459 Hunter Indoor Sports Complex (HISC), and have highlighted the reasons in the attached document that have not been sufficiently addressed by the applicant.

These reasons include, but are not limited to:
- traffic impacts
- parking impacts
- social impacts
- flooding impacts
- loss of green space
- lack of community engagement

Please see attached document for more detailed evidence of the detrimental impacts that this proposed build will have on the proposed sites.

I object to the “Hunter Indoor Sports Centre” being constructed on Wallarah & Blackley ovals at Lambton. These fields are well utilised – not only by sporting teams & the local residents but are essential for Lambton High School Students. This Public High School was built in this location with a formal agreement that it has access to these fields for teaching, sport & play. The school pays a fee to Newcastle City Council to do this. It is not fair to take the fields away from the students & leave them with no green space!
If this proposal goes ahead it will result in less physical activity and vit D for Lambton High students. The population of students will only increase & will leave them in extremely cramped conditions with no green space to utilise. This will result in more fights, no space to run around & an even more obese population.
The school already has its own Basketball courts to utilise- it does not need access to any more. It needs the fields & the green space. None of the other fields near the school are accessible to the students, they require crossing of roads with at least 2 teachers & parental consent to take the children off school grounds. The students will also have less time for that activity as they will have to take travelling time into consideration. Taking away the fields will also require more parents to pay for school sports as there will be less free options. These fields were previously utilised for free sporting activities & some families will not be able to afford the extra expense for excursions.
The students not only use the fields for sports but also access them for recess & lunch times. The fields are also the school’s emergency evacuation area- where will the new location for this be?! It is also going to be a nightmare getting children to & from school with all the trade vehicle & trucks taking over the streets.
My daughter has just started year 7 at Lambton High this year. This proposal has created so much stress, anxiety & uncertainty in thinking how this is going to affect my children’s high schooling years. My greatest concern is the construction noise that will be created by the erection of this building. The works will mainly be taking place while students are in class! How are they meant to focus with construction noise literally on top of them!
Not all the classrooms at Lambton High have air-conditioning. How are they going to have the windows open for breeze with all the constriction noise, not to mention concrete dust & fumes. I noticed in the EIS Appendix U Acoustic Assessment “RAPT Consulting” section 3.1, they have suggested times that the community may be less sensitive to noise, such as mid-morning or mid- afternoon for “noise affected level is exceeded” works to be conducted. I assume this is because they expect the majority of home owners to be at work or out, but what about the students?! Mid-morning & mid-afternoon are their main times for learning in the classrooms & that is when they are proposing to make the most noise! The Acoustic assessment also discusses vibration which “at levels high enough, has the potential to cause damage to structures and disrupt human comfort”. It also states “High noise generating activities such as jack hammering should only be carried out in continuous blocks, not exceeding 3 hours each”! I can’t imagine my child being able to concentrate in class while there is jack hammering for 3 hours straight!
It also states in the Acoustic assessment that “affected neighbours to the construction works would be advised in advance of the proposed construction period at least 1 week prior to the commencement of works”. What about the school if there are exams/assessments/presentations planned which would be planned way more than 1 week in advance! It is going to be disturbing just getting them to & from school with the trucks & trade vehicles will likely fill up the streets with the construction. This construction will be ongoing for years & can only see negative impacts to the students & their education. It is unfair that the High School students have not even been considered in this proposal & how the construction will affect them & their schooling. Lambton High is currently a high achieving school & this will only have negative impacts on our children & their education.
I have noticed that a large number of the Basketball community do not support the location either. Everyone agrees that a new Stadium is required but the location is not suitable. There should be room for expansion instead of being condensed in this small space. Basketball is increasing in popularity & this proposal does not seem like it would be able to support large tournaments. There is certainly not enough parking to support it! This is an extremely busy area with multiple sporting venues on the same busy road. It is already an absolute nightmare to find a park if there is more than one event on at one time & this proposal will only make it worse. There is also not enough funding to support the project- are they just going to leave it half done & finish it later? Where is the remaining $60 million plus coming from?!
Lambton High Public School has 1200 students making it one of the 45 largest schools in NSW. It will likely get larger with the proposed Broadmeadow housing developments. It is just ridiculous to take away land from the students that they utilise daily, leaving them with very little open space. Instead of looking out of the window & seeing lovely green fields, the children will in the future be staring at a construction site (with its own distractions) & the eventually a 17m high wall- possibly blocking sunlight and vitamin D.
Please keep our greenspace the way it is & find a more suitable location for the “Hunter Sports Centre”. This does not have to be located in Newcastle & was initially planned for Lake Macquarie! Preferably choose a location that has room for expansion & more car parking!

Basketball is one of the fastest growing sports in the region and needs a facility that will support that growth.
The current lack of quality facilities means that hundreds of children in each age group cannot join the competition each season.
The NSW Government quite sensibly invests in programs like"Active Kids" that encourage greater participation in children's sport, understanding the physical and mental benefits of sporting participation. Building this facility is consistent with that approach and ought to be progressed.

This facility is desperately needed for the local community, and the proposed location is perfect.

I can not support this proposed location. It’s a flood zone, pasha bulker storm 2007 , mega storm a few years later are a couple of recent examples. You could argue that so is most of Newcastle now but this right next to a major storm drain.
When there is an event on at McDonald Jones stadium across the road, steets are closed and traffic mayhem. Cars are parked illegally consistently much to the council’s financial benefit, but not the safety of the public. The hockey fields across the road also add further pressure on traffic/parking. The high school which backs onto these established playing fields has its own traffic/parking requirements.
There is plenty of available land around this area, Chatham rd, Clyde st for example or is it just take the easy option?

I object - please refer to my submission attached.