Google DeepMind AI tool to halve UK planning decision times

The UK government has begun testing an AI prototype developed with Google DeepMind that aims to halve the time English councils take to decide routine planning applications, cutting the average case from eight weeks to four.

The tool was unveiled on Wednesday (17 June) by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, alongside a second AI system named Extract that is now available to every local planning authority in England.

The prototype, known as Augmented Planning Decisions (APD), is in early-stage testing with Barnet, Camden and Dorset councils, and was created by government together with Google DeepMind, Google Cloud and UK AI company Faculty.

It triages applications, summarises key information and gives planning officers an initial assessment to consider before they make a decision.

Householder applications account for nearly 70% of the roughly 350,000 planning applications submitted in England each year, covering work such as loft conversions, home extensions and new windows.

By handling straightforward cases faster, the government says the prototype could free planning officers to focus on complex applications, including new housing and major developments.

Every assessment generated by the tool will be reviewed and approved by a qualified planning officer before any decision is made.

APD is being developed under an MHCLG contract worth £8.2 million with Google Cloud, Google DeepMind and Faculty as delivery partners, with alpha trials having begun in May 2026.

Subject to results, the government expects to expand trials to up to 10 additional councils later in 2026, with national rollout planned from 2027.

Marc Warner, Chief Executive of Faculty and Chief Technology Officer of Accenture, said the system would support planning officers with clear recommendations while humans retained final sign-off, helping to cut approval times on simple renovations in half.

Lila Ibrahim, Chief AI Readiness Officer at Google DeepMind, said the tool was being co-created directly with councils to solve real-world bottlenecks and significantly cut decision times.

Extract rolled out to all English councils

The second tool, Extract, uses AI to convert decades-old planning documents and maps, sometimes containing handwritten notes, into useable digital data in minutes.

The government said it will cut the estimated 250,000 hours a year that planning officers spend manually checking these records.

Following trials across 20 local planning authorities including Exeter and Hillingdon, Extract is expected to save the average council around 255 hours of manual work, down from more than 500.

Extract was developed by the government’s applied AI team, the Incubator for AI, working with MHCLG’s Digital Planning programme.

As part of its rollout, three national planning datasets – Article 4 Directions, Conservation Areas and Tree Preservation Orders – are to be published on the Planning Data Platform.

Minister for Data and Modern Digital Government Ian Murray said the tools were not about replacing the expertise of planning professionals but about taking admin off their desks.

Housing and Planning Minister Matthew Pennycook said the government was harnessing AI to streamline the application process and reduce delays on routine cases.

Maureen Costello, Vice President for UK, Ireland and Sub-Saharan Africa at Google Cloud, said the company was bringing AI out of the lab and into production-ready public services for councils nationwide.

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