"Everyone at the architecture firm complained that government town planners were telling them what they could and couldn't do. I knew immediately that I wanted to help clients get their developments approved."
Most people don't know what a private town planner does until they find out they need one. It might be trying to work out what's actually possible on a site they own or are considering buying. It might be setting up a physical business location that requires a change of use approval. Or it might be navigating a development application they didn't expect to be as complex as it turned out to be.
A private town planner works for you, not the council. My job is to understand what you're trying to achieve, assess what the planning framework allows, and find the clearest path to getting it approved. After graduating I spent several years in private practice before starting UPQ, and the work since has covered residential, commercial, and industrial development across most Queensland local government areas.
Why the model changed
Growth isn't always the right direction.
For a period, UPQ looked like a conventional planning firm. A growing team, more projects, more capacity. What I eventually realised was that the thing clients were paying for — direct access to an experienced planner who knew their project inside out — was the first thing to disappear when the business got bigger. I was managing staff. Not solving problems.
The current model is a deliberate correction. I work with a select number of clients at any time, and I lead every engagement personally. There are no handoffs, no juniors running your project while I'm in a management meeting. The advice you receive is mine — based on 15 years of working across Queensland planning schemes, councils, and development types.
It also means I genuinely enjoy the work. That matters more than it might sound. A planner who is engaged with your project will find solutions a distracted one won't.
