Early works on the A$230m ($163m) Club Burwood development are scheduled to begin in mid-2026 beside Burwood Station in Sydney’s inner west.
The project will relocate Club Burwood RSL, a community club with a history dating to 1919, to an 11,270m2 consolidated site at the corner of Shaftesbury Road and George Street. Plans cover 38,100m2 of gross floor area across a club and entertainment podium, a wellness floor, and a 200-room hotel.
Architecture and design practice Buchan has served as lead design architect since the project began in 2015. The firm has guided the development through the club’s development application and design excellence process, as well as the concept development approval for the hotel component.
The Sydney Eastern City Planning Panel approved the detailed development application for the club podium in December 2022. The consent covers demolition, public-domain works, six basement levels, food and beverage premises, commercial space, a function centre, and indoor recreation facilities. The hotel remains subject to a separate concept approval.
Several site acquisitions allowed the project to be redesigned and expanded during its development. It is now progressing towards construction following more than a decade of design work and consultation with stakeholders and the local council.
Four-storey podium forms first stage
The first stage comprises a four-storey podium containing entertainment, events, dining, and recreation facilities.
Restaurants, cafés, lounges, family recreation areas, and children’s play spaces will be distributed across the podium. Other facilities will include a sports bar, microbrewery, and venues for performances, conferences, and cultural events.
A showroom will accommodate 500 people, while the theatre will have capacity for 800. The largest events space will be able to host up to 1,000 people.
Glazing around the theatre, dining, and entertainment spaces will allow some of the activity inside to be seen from the street. An open-air restaurant and terrace will occupy the podium roof.
A dedicated wellness floor will contain a day spa, gym, and yoga studio. The wider development will also include a lap pool.
Below ground, six basement levels will provide approximately 1,250 parking spaces for club members, visitors, and hotel guests.
Design refers to Burwood’s architectural history
The exterior design draws from the Victorian, Federation, and contemporary architecture found across Burwood.
Its material palette combines Federation-influenced brickwork, bronze detailing, and expansive glazing. The podium façade is articulated to reveal parts of the theatre and other entertainment areas from the surrounding streets.
Buchan principal Anthony Palamara described Club Burwood as a vertical mixed-use precinct combining community facilities, entertainment, and hospitality in Burwood town centre.
Hotel planned for second stage
The second stage will add a 14-level, 4.5-star hotel above the entertainment podium.
The hotel will contain 200 rooms, along with a rooftop sky bar, restaurant, and outdoor terraces offering views across the Sydney skyline.
Across both stages, Club Burwood will have 19 levels above ground, comprising the four-storey podium, one wellness level, and 14 hotel levels, as well as the six basement levels.
Images: Courtesy of Buchan
