SPORTING groups have jumped the final hurdle in their fight to see the redevelopment of the Port Macquarie Indoor Stadium realised.
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The Development Application (DA) for the long-awaited project was approved on Wednesday afternoon.
For groups like the Port Macquarie Basketball Association the news has come as a relief.
"I feel like we can breathe now," said the association's vice-president Andrew Lister.
"The funding issue was a shock but to get this sorted is a real positive."
Concerns about noise, traffic, social impacts and hours of operation were raised by nearby residents of the Hastings River Drive facility.
But community benefits of the multi-million dollar redevelopment would far outweigh any arising issues, the Northern Joint Regional Planning Panel found.
A Social Impact Comment (SIC) revealed the upgrade would inject some $10.6 million into the local economy and create 28 new jobs.
Clear benefits in terms of significant social, sporting, health, youth and economic opportunity for the Hastings were highlighted.
A handful of negative social impacts, however, were also explored.
Grahame Wilson raised concerns on behalf of Hibbard Drive residents.
From operating hours, to an increase in "speed hoons" and the constant thud of "walls bouncing against walls", he said it would be important to create a framework to manage concerns.
"Noise has the greatest potential to regularly and directly impact on the amenity of nearby residents," he told the panel.
He suggested refining conditions of the DA including; reducing operating hours, placing "No U-Turn" signs at the Hastings River Drive and Hibbard Drive intersection; forced closure of stadium doors and preventing balls from hitting walls.
The panel's Paul Drake moved the motion to approve the DA.
But all resident concerns could not be alleviated, he said, within the confines of the meeting.
"On the balance we would have to go for the wider community benefit and some of these issues are things the community will have to deal with through council," Mr Drake said.
He said residents had to consider the area had been zoned as recreational for a "very long time, probably before many of those houses were there."
The panel ruled the facility would close at 9pm instead of 10pm on Sundays, and ordered the provision of a Facility Management Plan to deal with further concerns.
Mr Wilson said the outcome was pleasing for residents, who would continue to ensure the upgrade "works for everybody".
