Google DeepMind Expands PlanAssist, a Gemini Tool That Cut UK Planning Officers' Assessment Time by Up to 58%, to 12 More Councils
We built PlanAssist to help UK Government planning officers speed up building and renovations across the country. Built with Gemini, it has shown it can cut the time planning officers spend assessing householder applications by up to 58%. It is now being made available to 12 more councils to help them to make faster decisions. 🏡 →
Context
It is one of the clearest cases of a frontier AI lab putting a model into everyday government work, with a measured time saving and plans to reach every council in England.
PlanAssist is part of a partnership between Google DeepMind and the UK government on using AI in public services. It was built with the UK government, Google Cloud and Faculty, and has been piloted since June in Barnet, Camden and Dorset. The UK government wants 1.5 million new homes built by 2029, and planning delays slow that goal.
Deep dive
Google DeepMind said on Oct 31 that PlanAssist, an AI tool built with Gemini, will be made available to 12 more local planning authorities in England.
In pilot tests at Barnet, Camden and Dorset councils, DeepMind says the tool cut the average time a planning officer spent assessing householder applications by 58%. It also says more than 70% of the reports the tool produced were approved by officers with no edits. Routine householder applications, such as loft conversions and extensions, make up as much as 70% of planning officers' workloads, according to the company.
The tool checks that the required documents and drawings were submitted, checks the application against heritage constraints such as tree preservation orders and against local and national planning policy, looks for earlier objections such as those from residents, and drafts a fully cited report that officers can edit. Officers keep the final decision on every application.
PlanAssist now enters a 12 month beta phase on live applications. The 12 new councils will join in three groups, bringing the total to 15 across city and rural areas. Subject to successful testing, DeepMind says the government plans to offer the tool to all councils in England in 2027, with every assessment reviewed and approved by a qualified officer.
What to expect next
Watch the beta results on live applications, especially whether the 58% time saving and the share of reports approved without edits hold up beyond the first three councils. Planning lawyers and residents may question how AI drafted reports handle objections and appeals. A decision on rolling the tool out to every council in England is expected in 2027, and other countries may look at similar tools.