Speeding up planning decisions with AI

Google DeepMind's PlanAssist, built with Gemini, cut the time planning officers spent on householder assessment tasks by up to 58% in pilots across Barnet, Camden, and Dorset, with over 70% of its generated reports approved without edits. The tool is entering a 12-month Beta phase with live applications, onboarding 12 more councils in three cohorts for a total of 15, and subject to successful testing the government plans to make it available to all councils in England in 2027, with every assessment reviewed and approved by a qualified planning officer.