Hawthorn

Reference

current

Published: March 2026

Last updated: 08 March 2026

The vision for Hawthorn

The following vision for Hawthorn train and tram zone activity centre is built from the Statement of Advice prepared by a Community Reference Group (CRG) made up of local residents.

Hawthorn’s leafy streets and strong local identity create a welcoming environment where people enjoy spending time. The centre offers diverse options for new homes, a mix of small businesses and larger retailers, and exceptional access to the central city.

Its proximity to an emerging allied health precinct supports local living and contributes to the area’s vibrancy. With a blend of historic homes and newer apartments, Hawthorn will continue to attract people of all ages and backgrounds.

Development must balance housing needs with preserving a human-scaled, connected, and accessible community.

Hawthorn community member

What we understand about place and how we’ve addressed it

The CRG recognised Hawthorn as an easy to get around centre with green, human‑scale streets that feel welcoming.

As part of our planning for the core, we have incorporated requirements for landscaped setbacks to protect and encourage greening, as well as the Heritage Main Street Core typology along Burwood Road, close to Hawthorn Station, to maintain human scale street walls and its heritage values.

We heard that the community is generally supportive of increased density that does not compromise heritage, delivers greater housing choice and encourages increased activity around the Hawthorn centre.

Hawthorn, Glenferrie, Auburn and Kew Junction core and catchment map

A graphical representation of the scale of density within activity centre areas. — Scale of density from core to the outer catchment

Core	Inner catchment	Outer catchment
Various heights between six and 16 storeys in most centres, with potential for taller heights in some places in the larger centres	Up to four storeys, and up to six storeys on blocks larger than 1000m2	Up to three storeys, and up to four storeys on blocks larger than 1000m2

Hawthorn core and catchment explained

The core is the central part of the train and tram zone activity centre, closest to public transport, jobs and services. This area is best suited to accommodate more homes.

The catchment is the surrounding area within approximately 10 minutes’ walk of the core (around 800 metres).

As you move away from the commercial and community core of the train and tram zone activity centre, we expect that the building heights will gradually decrease. This will allow a transition between the activity centre and the surrounding suburb.

In Hawthorn, the outer catchment is bounded by Riversdale Road to the south and the Significant Landscape Overlay for the Yarra River to the west. It also extends north towards Kew Junction and east towards Glenferrie.

The inner catchment is predominantly south of the activity centre core towards Riversdale Road, which is serviced by trams. It extends to Church Street, which is also serviced by trams.

What we are doing for your community

As part of our work, we've:

applied landscape setbacks to the south side of Burwood Road to allow for vegetation and improve sun access and amenity to the road
applied active frontages along Burwood Road and Lynch Street to promote commercial and retail uses at ground level and encourage a vibrant street life
applied sensitive interface controls to protect the amenity of residential properties south of Burwood Road
applied high solar protection to the heritage retail areas along Burwood Road to protect and enhance street activity and pedestrian experience
applied heights of up to 12 to 16 storeys to larger sites capable of higher development
lowered building heights to properties along the Manningtree Road residential area.

Refer to the following plans:

Plan 3: Hawthorn typology, activation and setbacks
Plan 4: Hawthorn building heights and sun protection

Plans

The built form outcomes and building heights for the activity centre core are set out on the following plans:

Plan 3 (above): Hawthorn typology, activation and setbacks (Note: Typology refers to a building type that is suitable for a particular set of lot types and locations. Street activation requires new buildings to provide open and inviting shopfronts to encourage lively and safe streets. A setback is the minimum distance a building must be placed away from a property boundary, road, or natural feature.)

Plan 4 (above): Hawthorn building heights and sun protection

The plans support the right types of homes being built in the places they fit best. These are some of the kinds of homes you might see more of in the future.