Have a dedicated civic anchor building as the start of the development.
Quality public green space.
Look at the town's Heritage Buildings.
Add residential opportunities closer to the town centre.
Mr Langford said better access routes to the town centre, enhancing the pedestrian/cycle network and using lighting to provide safe connections at night, are also being considered.
Culture and the community were integral to the new plans with ideas to create a special culture place for people to spend time and to emphasise the distinctiveness of Hawera, especially the green rural aspect and views to Mt Taranaki, he said.
The strategy will also be used as a model that can be used for planning upgrades in the smaller communities throughout South Taranaki, he said.
Last December the council agreed to allocate up to $100,000 towards the design of a town centre strategy for Hawera. Bizlink Hawera, a key group of business people lobbying for this project also agreed to contribute up to $30,000 towards the idea.
"Hawera's current town centre is simply not meeting the needs of retailers or residents" Mr Langford said.
"It was essentially developed over 100 years ago and our community's social and retail needs have changed considerably over that time.
"This has been exacerbated by the growing trend in online retail," Mr Langford said.
Population growth and attractiveness of town centres were closely linked, he said.
"We want to build a vibrant and economically sustainable town centre that is a showcase to attract new residents, business and visitor which will provide a big injection of confidence into our retail and service centre and will also give property owners confidence to reinvest in the town. This project will provide an opportunity to develop an urban centre we can be proud of for years to come."
Public open days will be held next month so members of the public can view the draft plans and and make suggestions and comments, he said.