PLANNING for the regionally significant Hunter Indoor Sports Centre is continuing with site investigations, specialist studies and concept plans being prepared.
The centre will ultimately be the new home of Newcastle Basketball but will also cater for a range of other indoor sports including volleyball, pickle ball, wheelchair sports, netball, Futsal, and badminton.
As part of the planning process, Newcastle Basketball have already engaged with a range of government, community and sporting stakeholders garnering significant support for a much needed facility that will generate substantial health, social and economic benefits for the region.
In the next two weeks, Newcastle Basketball will expand this engagement to the local community by:
- Establishing a dedicated project webpage and feedback form for questions or comment
- Providing information packages and feedback opportunity to local residents
- Facilitating ‘drop-in’ sessions at the current Newcastle Basketball Stadium
- Holding an information session with the Lambton High School community
Newcastle Basketball General Manager Matt Neason said: “To date we have worked closely with key stakeholders including Council and State Government agencies to advance planning for what will be a highly valuable community asset. However, now it’s time to expand this to the broader community to ensure we can provide clear information about the project and provide an opportunity for questions and comment prior to finalising planning ahead of our development application being lodged”.
Updated project information will be available from 11 March onwards and ‘drop-in’ sessions will be held at Newcastle Basketball Stadium, 27 Young Road Broadmeadow, from 9am to 11am, Saturday 16th March, and 5:30pm to 7:30pm, Monday 18th March.
Mr Neason added: “The project will help to address a massive shortfall in indoor sports courts in the region. The current stadium is almost 55 years old and well past its ‘useful life’. Only last month, despite being an ‘indoor stadium’, we had a major inundation of water on the courts from a storm that interrupted programs and competitions. Capacity is so limited that each season we turn away around 500 players despite using numerous school facilities along with our main stadium.”
The ultimate scope of the project will include 12 courts including a show court with seating for up to 2,500 people, café and social zone, athlete training and testing facilities, administration spaces, multi-purpose rooms and community meeting rooms.
The design aims to retain as much open space as possible for use by the community as well as provide a modern sporting centre that can be accessed by Lambton High School and other community groups.
The initial Stage 1 works are expected to include six indoor sports courts, carparking and supporting amenities. Funding is being sourced for additional courts and support facilities to enable the complete relocation of Newcastle Basketball once the full development is realised.