The first is a prototype being tested in three English councils that is designed to halve householder planning decision times.

Aimed at homeowners seeking to extend their homes, convert lofts or make other improvements, this is being tested by Barnet, Camden and Dorset councils.

This software triages applications, summarises key information and provides planning officers with initial assessments.

It has been created by the government together with Google DeepMind, Google Cloud, Faculty and local planning authorities.

If successful, this technology will be rolled out nationwide by 2027. Every assessment will still be reviewed and approved by a qualified planning officer before any decision is made.

The second AI tool, called Extract, is now available to all councils in England.

•   The Finance Professional Show 2025: The Video
•   FMB rejects proposed merger of construction industry training boards

This uses AI to help convert decades-old planning documents and maps, sometimes with handwritten notes, into readily usable data in minutes.

The government estimates this will cut 250,000 hours a year that planning officers currently spend manually checking documents.

Extract was trialled across 20 local planning authorities in England and is expected to save the average council around 255 hours of manual work.

“Our planning system remains heavily reliant on cumbersome paper-based processes that consume the time of expert planning officers and cause delays on even the most routine types of application,” said housing and planning minister Matthew Pennycook.

“We are dragging the system into the twenty-first century by harnessing the power of AI to streamline the planning application process, freeing up planners to make quicker and better decisions and reducing unnecessary delays.”