AI could be
used to increase the availability of planning data, allowing
councils to make more informed planning decisions faster,
supporting the government's Plan for Change mission
to drive growth across the country and build 1.5 million homes.
Currently, many councils still use paper documents and
scanned PDFs,
slowing down the planning process - resulting in backlogs,
inefficiencies, and wasted resources.
To help tackle this, a new programme will
develop AI that provides higher
quality data, in turn helping councils make faster, smarter
planning decisions.
The new generative AI tool will turn old
planning documents—including blurry maps and handwritten
notes—into clear, digital data in just 40 seconds – drastically
reducing the 1-2 hours it typically takes planners. By pulling
key information from thousands of files, the tool helps cut
delays, reduce errors in data, speed up planning decisions –
freeing up planners' time to focus on building the homes Britain
needs.
Technology Secretary said:
The UK's planning system has been held back for too long by
outdated paper documents, slow processes, making it nearly
impossible for councils to make informed decisions quickly.
As part of our Plan for Change, we're using the power
of AI to
transform sluggish systems so we can start to rebuild. With
Extract, councils will have access to better quality data so they
can move more quickly on planning decisions and get on with
driving growth.
Technology like this could be a vital step towards councils
meeting targets to help build the 1.5 million new homes the
country needs, all while updating and improving the planning
system for the future.
Housing and Planning Minister said:
To kickstart economic growth and achieve the government's
ambitious Plan for Change milestone of building 1.5 million new
homes in this Parliament, we need local planning authorities to
be making informed decisions faster.
By harnessing new technology like Extract, we can tackle
backlogs, inefficiencies and waste and ensure councils are
focusing precious time and resources on efficiently determining
applications to build new homes.
It is currently being tested and could be available to councils
later this year, helping them to adopt smarter, more efficient
planning tools that will improve the overall efficiency of the
planning process.
The tool also has potential applications across the public sector
because location-specific data is used to deliver services and
inform government policy and decisions across departments.
It comes after the Technology Secretary revealed a £45 billion
jackpot of productivity savings, if the public sector makes good
use of technology to improve services and make processes more
efficient.
This builds on a range of sweeping planning reforms the
government has already made to get Britain building. This
includes updating the National Planning Policy Framework, which
according to the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) will boost the
economy by £6.8 billion and drive housebuilding to its highest
level in over 40 years, and through the pro-growth Planning and
Infrastructure Bill.
Notes to editors
The Planning and Infrastructure Bill is currently going through
Parliament. Read - Deputy PM tells
Parliament: Back reforms to get Britain building.
