Newcastle is the second largest city in NSW. Our facilities for basketball are an embarrassment. Our current stadium has asbestos, leaks and is substandard. I’m a grandparent and when I travel to watch kids play at Tamworth, Port Macquarie, Nowra and many other town I’m in excellent basketball facilities.
We turn kids away from basketball because Newcastle does not have enough courts. Sport keeps kids of the street and too busy for drugs etc. indoor sports are especially important for grandparents to see their kids play as it offers a more friendly environment as opposed to outdoor sports with cold and wet weather.
The current facility in Newcastle for basketball is an embarrassment to the NSW government and Newcastle stadium. I played on that court 60 years ago and it was not great then.
It is time to get the job done.
C Hurley

My Gramdson plays basketball now. I was a basketball fan of the Falcons when I was younger. The stadium is old & desperately needs a new home with upgrades. Basketball has been a major newcastle sports for over 50 years (As I can personally remember). I am sure it still will be in more than the next 50 years. If we don't get a new home or major upgrades. It will dwindle away. With all the heartaches newcastle basketball has been through. You go there today and see all the junior teams play. My Grandson has to play some games at Hunter Sports High as there is not enough courts for them all to play on. This is proof that basketball is still strong in Newcastle & desperately needs a new home. The current stadium is so rundown & this is not fair to all the passionate players

I own a unit that adjoins directly to the boundary of the proposed site. The proposed stadium court will be less than 30 metres from the bedroom of the unit. This development will severely impact the value of the property, not to mention the amenity of living there. Who could approve the building of a stadium court so close to properties where people live? The loss of enjoyment and livability will be immeasurable. The loss of green space and flood mitigation will potentially increase the likelihood of impacts from weather events. The parking issues and access to the property will be severely impacted by the increased patronage of the area, particularly when there are major sporting or entertainment events on at McDonald Jones Stadium. This site is completely inappropriate to the local residents and should not be approved to proceed.

No objections.

I am currently an active member of Newcastle Basketball and play in the local Thursday night competition for women. I have attended all information sessions that the Board has organised. The State Government has already rezoned the land for housing and the lease for the Basketball Stadium has been reduced to end in 2028 with options to extend but we need a new facility and the State Government has allocated the sporting fields opposite the Macdonald Jones Rugby League stadium. The current sports who use the sporting fields such as Cricket and Soccer are continually having to cancel games and matches due to the flooding of the fields. They are very happy to be allocated to new sporting fields and facilities as will be provided by Newcastle Council. The new stadium according to the plans which are on public display, have had to address the flooding issues in these fields. The new stadium will enhance the surrounding area and provide a much needed national and international sporting facility for the people of Newcastle and the surrounding areas. This facility is long overdue. I support the Project 100 percent. Thankyou

A new venue is much needed for the Newcastle basketball community.

This will an excellent community facility

To whom it may concern:
I wish to raise my objections to the current proposed location of the Hunter Indoor Sports Centre (HISC). I have real concerns about the lack of insight into the very real, very permanent impact that this loss of green space will have on the surrounding community, Lambton Hight School and other sporting clubs.

I live in New Lambton with my husband and 3 children. My husband and eldest play basketball, he attends Merewether High School. My middle and youngest attend Lambton High School.
We need a new basketball stadium, I have no objections to that. We have spent countless hours at the stadium over the years: it’s not big enough, it floods, it has had very little maintenance work carried out on it during our time there.

However the proposed location of Blackley and Wallarah ovals is not the place for the following reasons:
Consultation and loss of green space:
The land is public/crown land and is well utilised by both the adjoining Lambton High School and multiple local sports clubs. Consultation with residents and the community from site selection through to the current response to submissions from the EIS has been poor. Residents and community have significant valid concerns around loss of the green space that is heavily used by the local school and sporting groups, flooding, parking and traffic. The ‘decide and defend’ strategy being utilised by Newcastle Basketball is disappointing and insulting to the community they wish to disrupt and become a part of.
The original plans had green space at the rear of the facility that Lambton High School could still access, however this green space has been removed from the current plans, with throw away comments about the school being able to access Arthur Edden or Harker ovals, which they can’t. These are locked grounds. Almost 25% of our children are overweight or obese (Overweight and obesity in children - HealthStats NSW), they deserve more than the remnant greenspace to encourage sports and activity during their time at school.
Lambton High School currently uses these ovals as their evacuation space – where do they propose that the new space be located?
Cost concerns:
The total cost, inclusive of GST, exceeds $90 million. Newcastle Basketball currently have the remains of their $25 million grant, leaving a significant shortfall in funding. There is no report detailing where the remaining money, which is in excess of $60 million, is going to come from. Stage one alone is estimated to cost $35 million. Newcastle Basketball has told basketball patrons they will aim to find funds for. This causes me great concern, as there is no guarantee that the project can even go ahead with adequate funding for stage 1, let alone the project in its entirety.
Traffic and parking:
The traffic congestion and parking implications on local residents is unreasonable. We used to live in Wallarah Road. We couldn’t invite people to our house when there was something on at the stadium because there was nowhere to park. This was 10 years ago. Usage, traffic and parking has only increased over time and adding to this with a stadium in suburbia is an unfair burden to place on residents in surrounding streets.

In the past 18 months Newcastle City Council has rejected not one, but two applications from businesses due to traffic concerns for the local residents.
City of Newcastle - Application Details – Woolworths Broadmeadow
City of Newcastle - Application Details – Hungry Jack Wallsend
Why has the same standard not been applied to this development?
There is poor access to public transport from this location, and the added traffic burden caused by the basketball courts will coincide with commuter peak times along Turton Rd, which raises legitimate safety, congestion and environmental concerns.
Newcastle Basketball have claimed that the site is well located to be accessed by public transport from Broadmeadow Station. It claims ‘Broadmeadow railway station is approximately 1 kilometre east of the site’. According to google maps Broadmeadow station is a 1.7km, 23 minute walk. Newcastle Basketball do not present any evidence on how many of their patrons currently arrive by public transport when Broadmeadow station is significantly closer to their current site. What evidence do they have that more people will utilise it when it is further away?
This report also states that “It was confirmed that MJ Stadium has 25 dates annually associated with rugby league or football. These days are typically a Thursday evening, Friday evening, Saturday or Sunday. In addition, there are scheduled concerts and other events held throughout the year. The scheduling of NBL1 dates and tournament dates shall therefore be planned to avoid these key commitments. This will reduce the cumulative impacts of the venues as well as enabling the HISC to make shared use of the parking in the precinct, including the 920 spaces associated with McDonald Jones Stadium for overflow parking”
In 2024 every NBL 1 match was scheduled on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday (NBL1 Newcastle Falcons Schedule - Newcastle Basketball)). There is no evidence of consultation with the NBL 1 to support the suggested scheduling above being accommodated by the NBL 1 league.
The traffic event management plan doesn’t assess the impact residents currently experience when events are on at the stadium. Their parking strategy for every day usage includes the public street parking on Monash Road – Newcastle Basketball has no claim over these public spaces, even if 80 of these are “ along the site’. They are in fact separated by a drain, and as they state, used as overflow parking when other events are held in the precinct and by residents. These parks cannot be considered as part of the day -to-day parking strategy. Newcastle Basketball has regularly scheduled community games on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, which will all clash with the 25 annual dates for events at the stadium. Their parking strategy is based on 3-4 people sharing a car, which they have no evidence to support currently happens.
The traffic even management strategy also claims that ‘Spectators can then cross Turton Road at the signalised crossing allowing for the safe and controlled movement of pedestrians at this location’ (after parking at MacDonald Jones stadium). These pedestrian lights operation on demand, and while it will allow for safe and controlled movement of pedestrians it will have a major impact on traffic flow on this arterial road.
I look forward to Newcastle having a new, functional basketball stadium, however not at the expense of our green spaces, children’s ability to freely use the space and livelihood of residents. Newcastle Basketball continue to state that there are no adverse environmental, social or economic impacts resulting from this proposal. This isn’t just a proposal about the future of basketball in Newcastle, it’s about the long term, ongoing, negative and highly impactful effects of building a stadium in a residential area without adequate planning for parking, flood management, loss of community green space, disruption to the residents and funding. I respectfully request that the proposal at this location be rejected.

Recently Newcastle Basketball released new amendments to its existing plan, in addition to responding to the submissions made during a public exhibition process held
late last year.

This revision now includes a larger footprint, which means there will no longer be any green space Lambton High School students would be able to use.
The Wallarah and Blackley Ovals are utilised on a daily basis, and it would a travesty for the local community and students to lose that precious green space.

I am a parent of teenagers who both attend Lambton High School, and are Newcastle Basketball members and players.

It is without a doubt that a new Basketball Stadium is desperately needed, however this proposed site is absolutely the wrong location.

I vehemently oppose to this development on this site for the following reasons:

- Lack of initial consultation and subsequent poor community consultation in
determining the site.
- Loss of green space.
- Loss of playing space for other sporting codes
- Loss of amenity for nearby residents
- Loss of evacuation space, playing space, recreation space for Lambton High School.
Lambton HS students will be severely impacted by this change.
- Severe flooding impacts, the current ovals act as flood overflow and the 90% concrete
replacing will cause flooding impacts on nearby residents in Monash Rd, Gloucester
Ave, Duke St, Marina Ave etc.
- Severe parking impacts on nearby residents (Newcastle Basketball’s reports explicitly
state that nearby streets can and will absorb traffic overflow).
- Traffic issues on Turton Rd from entry and exit of hundreds of vehicles to and from the
stadium.
Concerns over funding. Construction costs have risen over 30% in recent years. How is this infrastructure project being funded, and where are contingency funds being sourced from?
The community and local authority will be stuck with the bill and funding the project in a location the local community would rather keep as green space.

Over 70% of original submissions were opposed to development at this site. If approval occurs, it would just prove that there is little regard to listening to the wishes of the majority of the community. It is important to point out that the majority of the community supports a new facility – it is just the wrong location!

The process of reviewing the proposal and all associated documentation has identified the following key issues and raise questions about the cost of this project if it were to be approved on both the local community and Lambton High School (LHS) community.

· The footprint of the proposed building has expanded, meaning the initial oval space / green space LHS could use is now non-existent.
· LHS currently pays the City of Newcastle (CoN) to access Wallarah Oval on an annual basis for daily student activity (PE, sport, general recreation during breaks). It also serves as the key evacuation point for staff and students in the case of an emergency. This space will no longer be available. Where can staff and students safely be evacuated to?
· The HISC proposed building height has increased from the original design. Why? What impact will this have on the southern classrooms regarding amenity and light?
· Newcastle Basketball states that LHS can access Arthur Edden Oval
and Harker Oval. This is apparently not correct and if Newcastle Basketball community are spreading this incorrect information, it can only be to try and benefit Newcastle Basketballs cause and seeking support at Lambton High Schools detriment. false. Advice from CoN to LHS states that without doubt Arthur Edden Oval is a National Premier League (soccer/football) ground with no option to access. Harker Oval is the home base for West Rugby League and West Cricket, and again no option to access. Why are the proponents of HISC spreading misinformation?
· Impact during the construction period has been ignored. Construction is proposed over a three-year period from 7am-6pm Monday to Friday. LHS students will be onsite to undertake assessments and exams and learning in general. How is this conducive to a supportive learning environment?
This summary skims the surface on how LHS will be impacted, not to mention our local community. Already residents deal with the impact of
events at Hunter Stadium almost all 52 weeks of each year.
As per the summary provided by the “Save our local ovals” community group; the proposed Hunter Indoor Sports Centre:
“… is unfit for approval. It fails residents, it fails basketball participants, it
fails planning principles, and it fails the taxpayer. A project of this scale must
be located in a suitable precinct, with sound design, governance, and
funding – not imposed on an already congested residential and school-
adjacent site with no precedent.”

My opinion and I know that of the Lambton High School community is that the HISC is much needed, and would be a welcome asset to the Hunter community. Although the concept is right, Wallarah and Blackley Ovals are absolutely the wrong location.

Please do not allow this project to be approved, which would result in irreversible damage and loss to the community.

Key Objections
1. Loss of Open Green Space and Community Recreation Areas
Wallarah and Blackley Ovals have long served as valuable public assets, providing critical open green space for passive recreation, dog walking, family gatherings, and casual sporting use. The proposed development would result in:
The loss of vital community recreational land, with few nearby alternatives available.
The privatization or restricted access of previously public spaces, limiting community engagement and wellbeing.
2. Environmental and Ecological Impact
The area surrounding the ovals includes established vegetation and local wildlife habitat. Concerns include:
Tree removal and habitat destruction, particularly for native birds, possums, and insects.
Increased impermeable surfaces, leading to greater stormwater runoff and erosion risks.
Potential light and noise pollution, impacting both local residents and native fauna.
3. Inadequate Infrastructure and Traffic Impact
The surrounding road network is not designed to support the volume of traffic that a large basketball complex would attract:
Increased traffic congestion on narrow local roads.
Insufficient parking on-site and overflow into residential streets, causing inconvenience and safety risks.
Pedestrian safety concerns, especially for children and elderly residents using the surrounding streets and pathways.
4. Impact on Local Residents and Amenity
The proposed development risks undermining the quiet, residential character of the area:
Extended operational hours, including night-time lighting and event noise, will severely impact quality of life.
Devaluation of property values due to increased traffic, noise, and loss of natural views.
Loss of peaceful community space and disruption of established community use patterns.
5. Lack of Genuine Community Consultation
Many local residents were unaware of the proposed plans until recently and feel excluded from the decision-making process:
Transparency issues, including inadequate community engagement and unclear communication of the development’s scale and impact.
Failure to properly consider alternative sites better suited to high-capacity sporting infrastructure.
6. Inconsistency with Zoning and Strategic Planning Objectives
The proposed use is incompatible with the existing zoning, which prioritizes open space, community recreation, and environmental protection.
The development contradicts broader planning objectives around sustainable development, public access to open space, and retention of urban tree canopy.