The UK government has launched two new AI planning tools to modernise England’s planning permission system
The smart use of AI planning tools will speed up decisions and support plans to build 1.5 million homes this Parliament.
The new advancement complements existing AI that converts decades of historic planning records into digital data in minutes, which is now available to every council in England.
Housing and planning minister Matthew Pennycook explained: “Our planning system remains heavily reliant on cumbersome paper-based processes that consume the time of expert planning officers and cause delays on even the most routine types of application.
We are dragging the system into the twenty-first century by harnessing AI to streamline the planning application process, freeing planners to make quicker, better decisions and reducing unnecessary delays.”
Halving planning application times with new AI prototype
The first is a new AI prototype that aims to halve the time it takes to process householder planning applications – down from eight to four weeks in an average case.
It’s in early-stage testing with Barnet, Camden and Dorset councils. The prototype planning tool triages applications, summarises key information, and provides planning officers with an initial assessment to consider when making their decision.
It has been created by the government in collaboration with Google DeepMind, Google Cloud, Faculty and local planning authorities.
If successful, the technology will be rolled out nationwide by 2027 – with every assessment reviewed and approved by a qualified planning officer before any decision is made.
Modernising old documents and maps in minutes
The other AI planning tool, Extract, is now available to all councils in England as promised by the Prime Minister last year.
It uses AI to help planning officers convert decades-old planning documents and maps, sometimes with handwritten notes, into readily useable data in minutes.
Extract will slash the estimated 250,000 hours per year that planning officers spend manually checking these documents. Digitising and publishing these documents as data helps officers and the public access high-quality planning data more easily, and create the right foundation for the next generation of tools that could dramatically reduce delays that plague the system.
Last year the Prime Minister announced that Extract would be made available to every local planning authority in England by Spring 2026 – today the government is delivering on that commitment.
Pushing towards the 1.5m homes target
The announcement marks another step in the government’s commitment to build 1.5 million homes and use technology to improve public services.
Rollout of the new AI planning tools represents a step-change in productivity, freeing up thousands of hours for planning officers to focus on decision-making and speed up housebuilding.
It will also accelerate the delivery of much-needed housing, improve reliability in the planning process, reduce costs and save time for councils and developers.
Lila Ibrahim, chief AI readiness officer at Google DeepMind, commented: “The UK has an opportunity to build the homes our communities need, but local councils face a mountain of paperwork.
“That’s why we’re co-creating a sophisticated planning tool directly with councils to solve real-world bottlenecks. This will significantly reduce decision-making times, freeing up planners to focus on the future and get Britain building faster.”
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