Two AI tools intended to streamline and modernise the planning system have been unveiled by the government.
It is hoped that the software will significantly reduce the time planning officers spend reviewing applications, enabling them to focus on more complex cases while providing support throughout the decision-making process.
The first tool, a prototype known as “Augmented Planning Decisions” (APD), uses AI to triage applications, summarise key information, and provide planning officers with an initial assessment of cases. It is currently in early stage testing with Barnet, Camden and Dorset councils, and is expected to be deployed nationwide in 2027 if it performs well.
The second tool, “Extract”, transforms the information found within decades-old planning documents into easily digestible data. It was tested in 20 English planning authorities last year and is now available to all councils.
The announcement comes as the government seeks to meet its target of building 1.5 million homes this Parliament.
Ian Murray, Minister for Digital Government and Data, said that the tools would help families get answers faster, and provide planning officers with better support.
He added: “This isn’t about replacing the expertise and judgement of planning professionals; it’s about taking admin off their desks so they can focus on the skilled work their communities need most.”
APD is expected halve the average time it takes to process planning applications from eight to four weeks. “Extract” is also projected to save the average local authority 255 hours of manual work digitising documentation, streamlining a process which currently takes an estimated 250,000 hours a year.
Matthew Pennycook, Housing and Planning Minister, said: "We are dragging the system into the twenty-first century by harnessing the power of AI to streamline the planning application process, freeing up planners to make quicker and better decisions and reducing unnecessary delays."
“Extract” was built by the government’s in-house “Incubator for AI” team, while “Augmented Planning Decisions” is being developed by government in collaboration with Google, the British AI company “Faculty”, and local planning authorities.
This follows regulations laid in Parliament earlier this month to speed up decisions on planning applications for minor cases.
Featured Image Credit: Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government