An artificial intelligence tool cut the average time officers spent assessing householder planning applications by 58% in early tests at three English councils, Google DeepMind said in an Oct. 30 publication.
The company said the results support wider testing of PlanAssist with live applications before a possible rollout across England. It published the findings in its blog post, “Speeding up planning decisions with AI.”
The company said more than 70% of reports the tool generated received officers’ approval without edits. Those reports included checks on compliance with local planning rules and whether applicants had supplied all required documents.
The findings came from pilots at Barnet, Camden and Dorset councils that began in June, the company said. It described the results as early and said qualified planning officers would continue to make final decisions on applications.
Google DeepMind, which developed PlanAssist with the UK government, Google Cloud and Faculty, said routine householder applications account for up to 70% of planning officers’ workloads. Such applications cover projects including loft conversions, conservatories and extensions.
The company said PlanAssist is entering a 12-month beta phase, a further testing stage, using live applications, initially at a subset of councils. Twelve additional councils will join in three groups, taking the total involved to 15.
The participating authorities include metropolitan and rural districts, allowing testing across different communities, the company said. The government plans to make the tool available to all English councils in 2027, subject to successful testing.
Every assessment would need review and approval by a qualified planning officer before a decision, the company said. The tool supports officers by processing applications and drafting recommendations that they can change before reaching a decision.
The company said PlanAssist first checks application documents and architectural drawings to establish whether the required information is present. It then checks proposals against restrictions, including tree preservation orders, and against local and national planning policies.
The tool also checks whether residents or others have previously raised objections or issues, the company said. It then drafts reports with references to supporting material, which officers can edit before making their decisions.
The company said planning delays slow progress toward the UK government’s goal of building 1.5 million homes by 2029. Families can wait months for permission for household building projects.
Built with Google’s Gemini AI, PlanAssist forms part of the company’s wider partnership with the UK government on planning and other public services. The company said automating administrative work could help reduce backlogs and speed approvals while leaving officers responsible for decisions.
