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UK Expands PlanAssist, a Government AI Planning Tool Built With Google DeepMind, to 15 Councils
The UK government has turned its prototype AI tool for planning decisions into PlanAssist and is testing it in 15 councils for 12 months. The goal is to cut handling of routine householder applications from eight weeks to four.
The UK government has announced that its AI tool for supporting planning decisions, built with Google DeepMind, Google Cloud and Faculty, now has a name, PlanAssist, and is moving beyond its first three pilot participants. It will be tested in 15 local councils for 12 months, with officers using it alongside the standard procedure to see how it performs at scale.
What PlanAssist does
According to the government's announcement, PlanAssist brings applications, planning policies and site constraints together in one view and gives trained officers an evidence-backed initial assessment of each case. Officers still review applications and make decisions themselves.
The tool is the new name for a prototype the government unveiled in June 2026. It was developed with Google DeepMind, Google Cloud, Faculty and local authorities.
Scale of the pilot
So far the tool has been tested in Camden, Barnet and Dorset. Twelve more councils are now joining: Ashford, Lambeth, Newcastle, Nottingham, Bristol, Cumberland, North Lincolnshire, Rochdale, Redbridge, South Gloucestershire, Stoke-on-Trent and Westminster.
The government says early testing cut time spent on key tasks by 58%. That figure comes from an early phase and from a government announcement, not an independent audit. The ambition is to cut routine handling of home extension applications from eight weeks to four.
Rules and wider context
PlanAssist is not software imposed on councils. Instead, key planning documents are to be digitised and published as open data by the end of 2027. The government intends to offer the tool to every council in England by the end of 2027.
The announcement accompanies new rules in force from Saturday 31 October. Under a National Scheme of Delegation, straightforward applications are decided by officers rather than committees, freeing councillors to focus on major developments.
The government also points to its hiring record: 420 planners recruited through government-backed programmes, against a promised 300. In 2026/27, over £14 million has been allocated for this, including over £12 million for Pathways to Planning.
What participants said
AI Minister Kanishka Narayan said the tool shows what putting AI to work for the public looks like in practice, and that it cuts the time spent on routine tasks by more than half. Owen Larter of Google DeepMind said that providing the tool to more councils is the natural next step.
Paul Maltby of Faculty stressed that AI must be trustworthy and built with its users in mind. For Polish readers, it is an example of how public administration can introduce AI as an assistant to officials while keeping humans accountable.
