Google DeepMind and the UK government developed PlanAssist. It cuts planning officer time on householder applications by up to 58%. The tool validates documents and checks heritage and policy constraints. It also drafts cited reports for officer review. Over 70% of its reports needed no edits in early pilots. PlanAssist is now expanding to 12 more English councils. A 12-month beta phase will test it across 15 councils. The UK government aims to roll it out nationwide in 2027. Officers will still approve every decision. The tool is built with Gemini.
What changed
Planning officers manually validated documents, checked constraints, and drafted reports for every householder application.
What it unlocks
Planning officers can now process routine householder applications faster while retaining final decision authority.
- 58% reduction in assessment time
- 70% of reports approved with no edits
- 1.5 million new homes by 2029
- 12 additional local authorities
What you need to act on it
- UK local planning authority participation
- Beta phase access
Sources