NEWCASTLE Basketball hope to have a new $25 million 10-court stadium at Hillsborough operational by late 2021 after Lake Macquarie Council approved a 30-year lease agreement for the site.
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Councillors voted unanimously on Monday night to set aside 6.7 hectares of land next to the Newcastle inner-city bypass on which the facility will be built.
The Liberal State Government committed $25 million to the stadium as a pre-election promise in March and included $13.4 million for the project in the 2019-20 state budget in June. The remaining funds will be dedicated in the 2020-21 budget.
A long-term lease was required to activate the funding.
"We will now put out a tender for project management," Goffet said. "Once appointed, they will undertake all the preliminary work, including design, concept plans, geotech reports, acoustics, water, power, sewer ... all that type of infrastructure.
"In the new year we will tender for a construction company. Hopefully they will be a local company. We are trying our best to use local companies for all aspects of the project."
The new complex, which will include a 4000-seat main arena, replaces Newcastle Basketball's dilapidated 50-year base at Broadmeadow.
"We are hopeful that the new stadium it will be finished by late 2021," Goffet said. "That would give us a shot at entering the 2021-22 National Women's Basketball League. Once we have concrete plans and a realistic delivery time, then we will go to Basketball Australia and say 'where do we go from here'.
"The stadium will be compliant with their requirements. Hopefully it coincides with Basketball Australia expanding the eight-team WNBL to include Newcastle and Brisbane in a 10-team competition."
Financial modelling for the project estimates the venue would have 762,000 visits each year, up from about 350,000 currently. It will increase opportunities for participation in wheelchair sports by more than 30 per cent and attract an additional 144,000 event participants annually.
