Development Approvals for Queensland Properties

Town Planning & Development
Assessment Advice for South-East Queensland.

Urban Planners Queensland is a private town planning consultancy providing strategic planning and development assessment advice. We help de-risk decisions and manage the development approval process.

15+

Years of practice

5.0★

Google rating

72.

Verified reviews

Zero.

Handoffs to juniors

Jessica Reynolds, Founder and Principal Planner, Urban Planners Queensland

About UPQ

Good development projects fail because the planning process is misunderstood.

Urban Planners Queensland was founded in 2014 by Jessica Reynolds to fix that. UPQ operates as a specialist advisory consultancy, not a volume-based planning firm.

The practice works closely with experienced developers, architects, and project managers who value clear process, professional collaboration, and strategic direction.

Client numbers are intentionally limited to ensure outcomes, responsiveness, and consistency at a senior level on every project.

Meet Jessica

Focused outcomes

What working with UPQ delivers.

Clarifying approval likelihood

Know whether a site will get up before significant capital is committed.

Managing authority liaison

Clear process and accountability at every stage of the DA pathway.

Protecting your timeline

Proactive identification of risks before they become delays or costs.

Services

How UPQ supports your development.

Each service is designed to reduce risk and create clarity at a different stage of the process. Every engagement led by Jessica Reynolds directly.

Site Finding & Strategy

Strategic identification and assessment of development sites across Queensland, including planning controls, constraints, and suitability for your intended outcome.

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Preliminary Planning Reviews

A comprehensive site-specific planning assessment identifying constraints, risks, and approval likelihood before significant capital is committed.

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Development Application Management

Strategic preparation and management of development applications, including authority liaison and approval pathway coordination.

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Preliminary Planning

Know what's possible before you commit.

Most people approach a property decision with assumptions: from a neighbour, a builder, or a quick Google search. That's not professional advice. It's a starting position you can't rely on.

A preliminary planning review gives you a professional, site-specific assessment of what you can and can't do with a property, before significant capital, design fees, or legal costs are committed. It replaces guesswork with an educated, defensible opinion from a registered town planner.

Request a planning review

Questions a planning review answers

Can I subdivide this lot, and into how many?
What is permissible under the current zoning?
Is the site affected by overlays or constraints I need to know about?
What's the likely development approval pathway and timeframe?
Can I build a secondary dwelling, duplex, or additional lot?
Is this site worth pursuing before I commit further?

How UPQ works

A deliberate model, not a standard one.

Senior input, every time

Every client engagement is led by Jessica Reynolds directly. There are no senior partners who hand off to juniors after onboarding.

Honest before comfortable

If a site won't work, or a timeline is unrealistic, we say so early. That clarity is the service, not a failure of it.

Process as protection

Development assessment is complex. Clear process removes uncertainty. Clients leave every interaction knowing exactly what happens next.

Email-first communication

In a world obsessed with constant contact, we keep it simple. Email creates a clear record and respects everyone's time.

Our position

Most planning firms compete on throughput: more projects, more staff, faster turnaround. UPQ inverts this deliberately. The limited-client model is not a constraint. It is the product.

Not the right fit for everyone.

UPQ is built for clients making high-value decisions who understand the cost of poor advice. If you are seeking fast, cheap, or informal advice, we may not be the right fit.

Connect on LinkedIn Jessica Reynolds

About Jessica

Clients hire UPQ because they're hiring me.

I founded Urban Planners Queensland in 2014 because I kept seeing the same thing: good development projects failing not because the idea was wrong, but because the planning process was misunderstood.

I work across most Queensland local government areas. I know how each council thinks, what they scrutinise, and where the risks sit before most developers have started asking questions.

BRTP (Hons), University of Queensland 15+ years practice Top 100 Women in Construction 2023 Founder, Creating Australia Podcast

Work with Jessica