Norths Basketball fears life without North Sydney Indoor Sports Centre
More than 5000 basketballers may be left without a home court under a plan to redevelop the North Sydney Indoor Sports Centre.
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More than 5000 basketballers may be left without a home court under a plan to redevelop the North Sydney Indoor Sports Centre.
Northern Suburbs Basketball Association officials learned of the dilemma by examining plans to improve the neighbouring Hume Street Park at Crows Nest.
North Sydney Council’s plan will first create a plaza connecting the park with Willoughby Rd.
This will not impact the sports or childcare centre at the park.
However, a second stage would widen the park to include the space occupied by the two centres.
While the childcare centre will be relocated, the sports centre could move underground, according to the plan.
Northern Suburbs Basketball Association CEO Graeme Reid said he believed a vital question had not been answered.
“It’s going to take at least a year to build a new venue,” he said. “Where would we go in the meantime.”
The association also uses courts at Willoughby Leisure Centre and schools, but Mr Reid said these venues did not have the capacity for all its matches.
Mr Reid also wanted to provide for more players.
Officials were forced to turn away about 300 people recently due to a lack of courts.
Mr Reid and general manager Anthony James have pleaded for help from council and government representatives but said they received no details.
Mr James said: “We keep seeing these plans that show this venue as green space.
“We don’t have any answers, and that uncertainty is unsettling.”
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They have discussed the possibility of a new home at the Ridge St carpark at North Sydney, and the Westfield Chatswood carpark.
A council spokeswoman said the state government had not provided funding for stage two.
In the absence of funding, this stage would not proceed, she said.
The planned Crows Nest train station, to be part of the Sydney Metro underground network, has been a catalyst for the park plan.
Two 27-storey towers are among those proposed above the station, which will be opposite the park.
The government and council want to provide more parkland for this influx of people.