Saving Valuable Green Space on Wallarah and Blackley Ovals, New Lambton and Build the Hunter Indoor Sports Complex in the Hunter Sports and Entertainment Precinct
Petitioner:
Dr Michelle Brown
| Member:
Hornery, Sonia
| No. of Signatories:
1,521
| Date closed:
04/07/2024
To the Speaker and Members of the Legislative Assembly,
We bring to the attention of the Legislative Assembly, the proposed building of a 12-court basketball complex on Wallarah and Blackley Ovals at New Lambton, site identified by the City of Newcastle council and Newcastle Basketball.
This proposed build will affect all users of the Ovals, including but not limited to:
High School: Lambton High School has 1200 enrolled students.
Impact:
• Educational impact on existing and future students and staff
• Loss of greenspace used for classes, breaks (before school, lunch, recess) and other school activities (sports and PDHPE)
• Loss of evacuation point for the school
Local residents: This is a known flood zone and building on these ovals will affect local residents.
Impact:
• Loss of local green space for residents of Lambton, New Lambton, and surrounding suburbs
• Increased flood risk
• Increased parking issues with concurrent sporting events
• Increased traffic on major and residential roads
• Accessibility issues for emergency services due to over-parking of residential streets
Sports: There is an undersupply of grounds across Newcastle to meet sporting requirements.
Impact:
• Loss of ovals
• Relocation of current sporting groups
• Flow on effect of loss of ovals onto other sporting codes
We, the undersigned petitions, ask the Legislative Assembly to call on the Government to reconsider the location of the proposed complex, given the detrimental environmental, social, educational, and mental health impact on the residents and users of these ovals.
