Soccer club takes up position against new Hunter basketball stadium

The Hunter Indoor Sports Centre, proposed for Turton Road opposite Hunter Stadium would see playing fields transformed into 12 indoor courts, three which can be converted into a 2000-seat show court, replacing Newcastle Basketball's ageing stadium.

NLFCJ secretary Megan Payne said they're already seeing it put some pressure on green space in New Lambton.

"Although it's not our primary grounds, it's starting to displace other clubs into space that is affecting us," she said.

"Although basketball obviously needs a stadium it's just not the right location for the amount of pressure that's already on the fields at New Lambton."

Lambton Jaffas Football Club primarily uses Wallarah Oval for its training, and Ms Payne said they're being displaced to Johnson Park, while some of the New Lambton Eagles premier teams are being moved to Novocastrian Park.

"We've already got 900 players for two fields at Novocastrian, so it's already a very highly used park and it's pushing extra players onto that," she said.

"There is increased use over time by the premier club and that has caused us some concern about the sustainability of having so many players on the field.

"They [City of Newcastle] seems to think it's manageable and we are having a meeting with them to assess the ground condition, so I guess that's how they're planning to manage it at present."

In December, the Newcastle Herald reported that the $25 million in state funding set aside for the new basketball stadium would only build half of it.

Newcastle Basketball has lodged an application with the state government seeking approval for the new stadium, designed to be delivered as an initial block of six courts with a further two added later.

Ms Payne said parking can already be difficult in the area if there are other events on at McDonald Jones Stadium or the hockey fields next door.

"It affects our families in a few ways, because a lot of our players attend Lambton High School so it will affect the high school's use of the ground as well," she said.

In a statement, NLFCJ said while promoting exercise is commendable, the construction of a new Hunter Indoor Sports Complex at Turton Road does not align with community needs or priorities and "comes at too high a price to the local community".

It's not the only sport that would lose access to the site, which is used for cricket, football, rugby league and community recreation.

An online petition against the development has accrued more than 1000 signatures.

A City of Newcastle (CN) spokeswoman said it has been working closely with impacted sporting groups to ensure that if the development is approved, new playing locations will be secured for sporting clubs.

"This includes both the Area Manager Northern and the Local Infrastructure Manager for CricketNSW, as well as representatives from Northern NSW Football, Newcastle Football and Lambton Jaffas," she said.

"CN has not met with representatives from New Lambton FC Juniors as they do not use the fields where the indoor sports centre is proposed to be built and therefore is disappointed they have made comment without having all the facts."

The spokeswoman said that while construction on a new stadium is not expected to start until 2025, the council is prioritising discussions with sporting groups to ensure they can avoid disruptions.

"This will involve the creation of upgraded sporting infrastructure elsewhere that includes improved drainage, improved lighting and improved male and female facilities."

The development is classified as a State Significant Development by the state government.

As part of the assessment process, the council has been asked to provide feedback on the initial application to the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure.

The CN spokeswoman said it provided a range of comments for consideration in January, including about the management of flood risks on site.

"The fields are in a known flood prone area," she said.

"It is for this reason that the fields were unable to be used for the entire 2022 sporting season.

"The proposed indoor sports centre would of course not be affected by rain and flooding issues would be addressed via an engineered solution."

The department will consider feedback from various agencies and ask the applicant to address any issues as part of an Environmental Impact Statement for the development, which will be placed on public exhibition.

The final decision will be made by the state government.

The Newcastle Herald contacted Newcastle Basketball for comment.