Approv

What Approv does

Approv is a private Australian professional services firm providing end-to-end town planning and development approval services across NSW, QLD, and VIC. The company is registered as Approv Pty Ltd, headquartered in Surry Hills, Sydney, with additional offices in Brisbane and Melbourne, and has been operating since 2019 under the leadership of a team of credentialed town planners with 30+ years of combined planning experience. Its offering spans five core service lines — Change of Use, Residential, Commercial, Developers, and Architects — supported by nine specialised vertical sub-services covering food and hospitality, gym and fitness, medical and allied health, industrial and storage, beauty and spa, community and education, retail, office and workplace, and accommodation approvals.

The service is delivered by integrated town planning, design coordination, and project management teams operating under a single accountable engagement. Approv positions itself around upfront feasibility assessment, identification of the correct approval pathway (DA or CDC), consultant coordination, council liaison, and a 48-hour lodgment target for eligible applications. The firm reports a 100% approval rate, 81+ active project approvals expected in 2026, and reach across 284+ councils in its three operating states.

Commercially, Approv operates a fixed-fee professional services model with quote-based pricing determined after a free 30-minute strategy call. Revenue is project-based rather than recurring, generated across a horizontally segmented customer base that includes homeowners, business owners undertaking change-of-use, commercial operators, property developers, and architects. Distribution is primarily direct, supplemented by referral partnerships with architecture and design firms (including Mijas, Architex, Cleystudio, Wearebest, and Crosier Scott) and integration with the NSW Planning Portal. No external funding has been disclosed, and no proprietary technology platform underpins the service offering.

Name

Approv

Legal name

Approv Pty Ltd

Website

https://approv.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Approv is an Australian town planning and development approvals consultancy delivering fixed-fee, end-to-end planning services to homeowners, business owners, developers, and architects across NSW, QLD, and VIC.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Sydney

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Planning and Development Approval Services: Professional services revenue generated through fixed-fee planning and development approval engagements. Services cover change of use, residential, commercial, and developer projects. Revenue is project-based rather than recurring, with pricing determined after initial site assessment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Approv is a professional services firm that manages end-to-end town planning and development approvals for property projects across NSW, QLD and VIC. The firm conducts upfront feasibility assessments, identifies the optimal approval pathway (DA or CDC), and then handles documentation, consultant coordination, council liaison, and determination on behalf of the client. Services are tailored to homeowners, business owners, developers, and architects requiring change-of-use, residential, or commercial approvals.

Product overview

Approv is a town planning and development approvals specialist offering end-to-end planning services across NSW, QLD, and VIC. The core offering consists of five main service lines: Change of Use, Residential, Commercial, Developers, and Architects. Under Change of Use, there are nine specialized sub-services covering Food & Hospitality, Office & Workplace, Gym & Fitness, Industrial & Storage, Beauty & Spa, Community & Education, Medical & Allied Health, Retail, and Accommodation approvals. The Residential service includes Granny Flat Approvals as a key sub-service. All services are delivered by town planners, design teams, and project managers coordinated under one roof, with a 48-hour lodgment target for eligible applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Change of Use Approvals

Quantifiable outcome

• 48-hour lodgment target for eligible applications
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments10 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• MijasminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitecture firm listed as a collaborator. Approv partners with architecture firms to provide planning services while architects maintain design focus.
• ArchitexminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitecture firm listed as a collaborator. Partnership enables architects to refer planning work to Approv while focusing on design delivery.
• CleystudiominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesign studio listed as a collaborator on the Approv website.
• WearebestminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a collaborator on the Approv website.
• Crosier ScottminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a collaborator on the Approv website.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Ethos Urban: Ethos Urban is one of Australia's largest specialist town planning consultancies, offering development approvals, urban design, and planning strategy services across NSW, QLD, VIC and other states. Directly comparable to Approv in service offering, target customers (developers, architects, property owners), and end-to-end project management model.
• Urbis: Urbis is a major Australian planning, property, and economics consultancy providing development approvals, strategic planning, and urban economics services nationwide. Direct peer given similar service lines, multi-state presence, and developer/architect client base.
• Mecone: Mecone is a Sydney-based town planning consultancy specializing in development applications, planning advice, and project management for residential, commercial, and mixed-use projects. Comparable to Approv in core service offering, fixed-fee model, and target customer segments.
• JBA Planning: JBA Planning is a boutique Australian town planning consultancy providing development approval services across NSW and QLD. Comparable to Approv in specialization, target market (developers and property owners), and project-based delivery model.
• Roberts Day: Roberts Day is an Australian town planning and urban design practice with offices in WA, NSW, and VIC providing development approval and strategic planning services. Directly comparable to Approv's service offering with slightly different geographic focus.
• Bensons Planning Group: Bensons Planning Group is a specialist Australian town planning consultancy focused on development applications, change-of-use approvals, and project management for commercial and residential clients. Directly comparable to Approv in service offering and target customer base.

Broad incumbents

• WSP Australia: WSP is a global professional services firm with a substantial Australian planning and property advisory practice that handles development approvals, planning strategy, and urban design as part of a broader engineering and environmental services portfolio. Broader incumbent given scale and wider service breadth versus Approv's specialist focus.
• AECOM Australia: AECOM is a global infrastructure consulting firm with an Australian planning, property, and economics practice that provides development approvals among many other services. Broad incumbent with overlap on town planning but operates at much larger scale across many other verticals.
• Stantec Australia: Stantec is a global design and engineering consultancy with Australian planning, urban design, and development advisory services. Operates as a broad incumbent providing planning services alongside larger engineering, environmental, and infrastructure practices.

Regional players

• Architectus: Architectus is an Australian architecture and urban design practice with planning advisory services, primarily serving NSW, QLD, and VIC markets. Comparable to Approv in overlapping service categories (planning strategy, development advisory) but with a stronger design-led orientation and less focus on standalone DA lodgement.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/approv-pty-ltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Approv