Multiple dwelling MCU on a constrained inner-city site.
Code assessable approval secured despite height and setback variations. Information request focused on streetscape response, negotiated down to a design note rather than a redesign.
Your development
application,
managed properly
by Jess.
You have the project ready to lodge. Development Application Management runs the application end to end, from strategy and preparation through to lodgement, authority liaison, information requests and conditions. The outcome is a buildable approval.
Development Application Management · Fixed-fee or stage-based, quoted on enquiry
Jessica Reynolds BRTP(Hons)Your town planner
How the application is prepared shapes the approval you get.
Poorly framed applications invite information requests, delays and conditions you didn't need. I prepare applications to give the assessor what they need to say yes.
Tell me about your project ↗What you get
What's included with
DA Management.
UPQ / JESSICA REYNOLDSWHAT'S INCLUDED
Your DA Management
engagement
includes:
- Pre-lodgement strategy and planning assessment report
- Coordination of the drawing set and specialist consultants
- Lodgement and ongoing authority liaison through to decision
- Response to information requests, submitters and referrals
- Advice on conditions and negotiation where needed
- Appeal advice if the application is refused or over-conditioned
- One senior planner (me) on your project throughout
- Scope and fee agreed before you engage me
01
An application built to be approved.
I write the planning argument against the actual codes and benchmarks that apply to your site, not a generic template. The brief, the drawings and the planning narrative all talk to each other.
02
One point of contact with council.
I manage every exchange with the assessment officer, from pre-lodgement through to conditions. You're not chasing updates and the application keeps momentum.
03
A decision you can actually build.
I read every condition against the brief before you sign it off. Conditions run with the land; the time to shape them is now, not after approval.
Fixed-fee or stage-based · Scope and fee agreed before you engage me
Scope depends on the application type, the site, the number of codes triggered and whether specialist consultants are needed. DA Management is for projects with a confirmed brief and design ready for assessment. If you're still deciding what to build, a Preliminary Planning Review should come first.
How it works
A structured process,
start to approval.
Every DA engagement follows the same four stages. You'll always know what's happening with council, what's next, and what I need from you.
STEP 01
Pre-lodgement preparation
I review the brief against the planning scheme, identify the applicable codes and benchmarks, and set the planning strategy. If anything in the brief doesn't yet support the application, I flag it before we go further.
STEP 02
Application preparation
I prepare the planning assessment report and supporting statements, coordinate the drawings and specialists (acoustic, traffic, ecology etc.) and make sure the whole package reads as one argument, not a stack of attachments.
STEP 03
Lodgement and authority liaison
I lodge the application and run it through the assessment period. That covers information requests, submitter and referral responses, and meetings with the assessment officer. You stay informed. I handle council.
STEP 04
Approval and conditions review
I read every condition against the brief before you sign. If a condition is unreasonable or unworkable, we negotiate. If the application is refused or over-conditioned, I'll walk you through the appeal options.
Applications I've run
Real DAs.
Real approvals.
A sample of applications I've managed to decision, with the kind of brief, the kind of site, and the kind of outcome.
Four-lot reconfiguration with a flood overlay.
Overland flow path redesigned at pre-lodgement to avoid a referral. Approval conditions negotiated so the civil works stayed inside the client's cost plan.
Material change of use for a healthcare tenancy.
Impact assessable application lodged and approved with no formal submissions. Pre-lodgement engagement with council and parking justification done up front, not reactively.
The kinds of applications I run
Residential, commercial,
mixed-use.
If it needs an approval, I've probably run one like it.
- Multiple dwelling (townhouses, apartments)
- Dual occupancy and duplex
- Houses, secondary dwellings and extensions requiring approval
- Reconfiguration of a lot (residential subdivision)
- Material change of use (commercial, retail, healthcare, community)
- Industrial and warehouse development
- Operational works, and preliminary approvals
Not listed? Send me the brief and I'll tell you whether it fits what I take on.
Before you commit to lodging
Start
with a
Review.
A planning strategy for your site and proposed project, before you commit to a DA.
JESSICA REYNOLDS / UPQ
Not sure the project is ready to lodge?
If the brief isn't settled,
the DA isn't either.
DA Management is for projects with a confirmed brief, a design the design team is finished with, and a decision to proceed. The planning strategy sits underneath all of that.
If you're not quite there, a Preliminary Planning Review is where to start. Maybe the brief is still moving, or you're testing options on the site, or you want to know what council will accept before you commit to a design. We get the strategy right first. The DA follows.
From $1,500 + GST. Scope and fee agreed before engagement.
Meet your planner
You work with me.
I’m Jess. I founded Urban Planners Queensland in 2014, and I’ve spent 15 years working in planning across South-East Queensland.
I’ve run the bigger team. Today I lead the work myself. The person who analyses your site is the person who writes your strategy and talks it through with you.
Your project gets my attention. Your questions get my analysis.
Jess
A selection of UPQ work
Want to see some of
the work we’ve done?
Since 2014, I’ve worked on a lot of projects. Every one is unique, but it’s likely I have a path forward for you.
View the UPQ project portfolio
Is this your next step?
Project ready.
Brief settled.
Time to lodge.
- You have a specific SEQ site and a project the design team is ready to lodge.
- You want one senior planner running the application, not an assistant copied in.
- You want fewer surprises from council, not none promised.
Who this isn't for
Not the right fit?
- You're still testing what the site can support.Start with a Review →
- The brief is still moving or the design isn't finished.Start with a Review →
- You're looking for the cheapest planner to lodge the paperwork.Try another firm. This isn't that service.
- You need a financial feasibility, valuation or legal advice.Speak to a specialist in that field
Not sure? Get in touch through the contact page.
A few things worth knowing
Good questions.
What does DA Management cost?
It depends on the application type, the number of codes triggered, and whether specialist consultants are needed. Most engagements are a fixed fee by stage, agreed before I start. For straightforward residential MCUs, expect a mid-four to low-five-figure range; larger mixed-use or impact-assessable projects run higher. You'll have the quote before you engage me.
Will you guarantee the approval?
No. No planner can guarantee an approval before an application is assessed. What I will do is tell you my honest read on the prospects before we lodge, name the issues most likely to decide it, and prepare the application so the assessor isn't working against us.
How long does an application take?
Code assessable applications in SEQ typically run 4–12 weeks from lodgement to decision; impact assessable with public notification and referrals, 12–26 weeks. The clock stops when council issues an information request, so a well-prepared application that avoids one is usually the quickest overall.
Do I need a Preliminary Planning Review first?
Not always. If the brief is settled, the design is ready, and the planning questions have been worked through, we can go straight to DA Management. If any of those is still open, a Review first will save you time and money overall.
What about the drawings and specialists?
I coordinate the architect and specialists (acoustic, traffic, ecology, stormwater etc.) so the drawing set and reports all support one planning argument. You can bring your own team or ask me to introduce you to consultants I've worked with.
Do you cover all of Queensland?
Most of my work is in South-East Queensland. For sites elsewhere in the state, send me the details and I'll tell you whether I can help.
What if the application is refused or over-conditioned?
I'll walk you through why, and whether an appeal, a representation, or a resubmission is the better path. I can run the appeal with you, or hand it to a planning lawyer and stay as the planning witness, whichever actually suits the matter.
Your application, next
Tell me about
the project
and the brief.
Send me the site, the application you need, and when you need the approval. I'll come back with a view on fit and the next step. That might be a quote, a pre-lodgement meeting, or a Review first if that's what the brief needs.
Fixed-fee or stage-based
Quoted on enquiry. Scope and fee agreed before engagement.
Sending an enquiry doesn't start a DA.
Prefer email? plan@upqld.com.au