The Government has announced the launch of a new Artificial Intelligence (AI) tool, designed in collaboration with Google, in order to speed up the planning system.
Speaking at London Tech Week, the Prime Minister announced the launch of Extract – an AI assistant for planning officers and local councils, developed by the government with support from Google.
“For too long, our outdated planning system has held back our country – slowing down the development of vital infrastructure and making it harder to get the homes we need built.
“This government is working hand in hand with business to change that. With Extract, we’re harnessing the power of AI to help planning officers cut red tape, speed up decisions, and unlock the new homes for hard-working people as part of our Plan for Change.
“It’s a bold step forward in our mission to build 1.5 million more homes and deliver a planning system that’s fit for the 21st century.”
Sir Keir Starmer, PM
For the first time, this cutting-edge technology will help councils convert decades-old, handwritten planning documents and maps into data in minutes.
This will power new types of planning software to slash the 250,000 estimated hours spent by planning officers each year manually checking these documents. This will dramatically reduce delays that have long plagued the system.
“It’s hugely encouraging to see the government recognising the critical role that technology, and AI in particular, can play in transforming the UK’s planning system. The launch of Extract is a bold step forward that highlights the potential of digital tools to unlock efficiency, reduce delays, and support the delivery of much-needed homes. To fully realise the benefits of this shift, it’s essential that the government continues to foster an open and competitive environment for innovation.
“This means ensuring that the new AI infrastructure is interoperable, that planning data is published in accessible, standardised formats, and that smaller PropTech companies, many of whom have been pioneering solutions in this space, are able to integrate and build on these foundations. We welcome this move as part of a wider commitment to modernising planning, and we look forward to continuing our work with MHCLG and partners across industry to ensure the UK’s PropTech ecosystem can thrive and scale – unlocking productivity, growth, and better outcomes for communities.”
Sammy Pahal, Managing Director, UK PropTech Association
Around 350,000 planning applications are submitted a year in England, yet the system remains heavily reliant on paper documents – some hundreds of pages long. Once submitted, each of these documents needs to be manually validated and approved by a planning officer.
“Today’s announcement is an exciting step forward for the digital transformation of the planning system, which is essential to significantly speed up the planning process and the delivery of new homes and infrastructure.
“The trials have clearly been a success but rolling this technology out across local authorities will require time and investment, a significant short-term challenge given the pressures local authority planning teams are already facing. As well as implementation in England, the Government should also facilitate access of this technology in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.”
Tony Mulhall, RICS Senior Specialist – Land & Resources, RICS
The tool, which uses Google DeepMind’s Gemini model, has been tested in Hillingdon, Nuneaton & Bedworth and Exeter councils, where it digitised each planning record in around three minutes.
“Just like many local authorities, Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council has many plans and documents in storage from historic planning applications over the years. Working with the Extract team, we have seen the outputs from Extract, and how these could improve our service, providing high quality, digital, GeoSpatial data and how this could speed up the process for our Planning Team.”
Tom Shardlow, CEO, Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council
The rollout of Extract aims to help deliver the government’s Plan for Change milestone to build 1.5 million homes over the next Parliament. It is also part of the government’s efforts to harness tech and AI to deliver change and renewal for working people.
