I am opposed to the building of this project on the proposed site. Newcastle Basketball Association deserve a new stadium, however this is a very inappropriate site.

The stadium will prevent the use of two ovals used by the local football club juniors. It is currently used by Lambton High School as an evacuation point as well as for PE lessons, general Play, carnivals and sports use. The site is also a flood overflow plane, with a stadium built on this site, flooding will increase for the surrounding streets as well as the high school. Basketballs reports state that flooding impact will increase on the school including flooding into the schools COLA with this project built.

If this project goes ahead, Lambton High Students will be forced to use Kentish Oval as their green space for PE lessons, sport and for their breaks. Kentish Oval is 400 meters away and will be a 5 min walk either way, taking 10 min out of their recess and lunch, 10 min out of their PE Lessons. They will also have to cross a busy road to get from the school to Kentish Oval. This is ludicrous.

This proposal will see the loss of two ovals impacting on junior soccer and local residnets. Parking will massively impact on local residents, the current reports have seen some 30 parks removed and states that "local streets can absorb the impact".

Turton Road traffic will be HEAVILY impacted by this proposal too. A single entry and exit is silly and will see Turton Rd traffic bank up immensely.

For these reasons, I oppose this development.

I support the submission as a new indoor sports centre is needed in the Newcastle region for a number of reasons.
There currently isn't enough basketball courts available for everyone to play in the local competitions which means kids are missing out on playing when competitions are at capacity.
Could be used for other sports e.g. netball which has no indoor facility in the region.
Central location for a large number of people to access easily.

I object to this proposal and believe it is the wrong solution in the wrong location, refer attached.

I am a student at Lambton High School, and I want to share my strong concerns about the proposed Hunter Indoor Sports Centre being built on our school grounds.

Our school already has very little outdoor space compared to other high schools. The ovals are used every day for sport, PE, assemblies, lunchtime activities and just having room to be outside. If this project goes ahead, we will be left with almost no green space at all. That will have a huge impact on students’ health, wellbeing and even our learning environment.

Another big concern is that the plans being shown around the community look very expensive and far beyond what has been publicly said is the budget. If there isn’t anywhere near enough funding, what happens then? It feels like the school will lose our space no matter what, but the centre might not even get finished properly. That would leave us with the worst outcome, no ovals and no new facility either.

Why is it fair to take space from hundreds of high school students for a project that may not even have the funding to deliver what’s promised? Once this space is gone, it cannot be brought back.

As students, we should be able to learn, play sport, and enjoy fresh air at our school. I strongly believe this is not the right location for the Hunter Indoor Sports Centre. Please don’t take away the little outdoor space we have left for something that may never even be completed.

I am writing as both a local resident and a parent of students at Lambton High School to object to the proposed Hunter Indoor Sports Centre at Wallarah and Blackley Ovals. While I support the idea of improved sports facilities for our region, this location is the wrong place for such a development.

My main concerns are:
1. Loss of outdoor green space for students
Lambton High already has very limited outdoor areas compared to other schools. These ovals are used daily for PE classes,emergency evacuations, informal play, and student wellbeing. Taking them away would leave the school with very little open space, which cannot be replaced elsewhere. To attend green space else where a permission note & higher teacher/student ratios would be required.
2. Impact on community sporting groups
The ovals are currently used by Lambton Jaffas Juniors, Newcastle District Cricket and other community sports groups. The space proposed to remain is essentially useless & far too small to meet the needs of such groups, and the so-called “replacement” arrangements don’t come close to matching what would be lost.
3. Traffic and parking problems
Turton Road and surrounding streets already experience congestion. Adding traffic from a major sporting facility and events will worsen safety risks, push overflow parking into residential streets, and compromise access for both locals and emergency vehicles.
4. Flooding and drainage risks
The existing ovals already suffer from poor drainage. Replacing large grassed areas with buildings, hard surfaces and car parks will increase water runoff and heighten flooding risk for the school and surrounding neighbourhoods, even with mitigation measures.
5. Noise, lighting and residential amenity
A facility of this size will bring constant noise, bright lighting at night, and an influx of people and vehicles. This will significantly affect the quality of life for nearby residents, and it will also disrupt the quiet learning environment of the high school.
6. Negative impact on student wellbeing
Open space is essential for student health, physical activity, and social connection. Losing access to outdoor areas would directly harm the wellbeing of hundreds of students who spend most of their week at Lambton High.
7. Poor consultation and overlooked alternatives
Many parents, residents, and sporting groups feel that the consultation process has not adequately considered the voices of those most affected. Other potential locations were dismissed too quickly, including sites that would not displace school grounds or heavily used community ovals.P

This project may benefit basketball, but it should not come at the expense of the broader community, local sport, or our children’s learning environment. Once this green space is gone, it cannot be recovered.

For these reasons, I strongly urge that this proposal not proceed at the Wallarah/Blackley Oval site, and that serious consideration be given to alternative locations that do not take away vital school and community outdoor space.

Thank you for considering my submission.

Newcastle Clearly needs this project. The stadium is a mess. so outdated.

I support the stadium.

Please see my submission objecting to the development attached.
Thank you for this opportunity .
Cr Mark Brooker - Ward 3 City of Newcastle