Google DeepMind's PlanAssist expands to 15 English councils
Google DeepMind is expanding PlanAssist, an AI tool built with Gemini that helps planning officers process routine applications, to 12 additional local planning authorities in England, bringing the total to 15 councils.
·1 min read·AB
Google DeepMind @GoogleDeepMind
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… pic.twitter.com/qab3z41WDa
Google DeepMind is expanding PlanAssist, an AI tool built with Gemini that helps planning officers process routine applications, to 12 additional local planning authorities in England, bringing the total to 15 councils. The tool was built with the UK government, Google Cloud, and Faculty.
According to Google DeepMind, an early pilot across Barnet, Camden, and Dorset councils, running since June, showed PlanAssist could cut the average time officers spend assessing routine householder applications, like loft conversions or extensions, by up to 58%. The company also says more than 70% of the reports it generated, covering things like policy compliance or whether required documents were submitted, were approved by officers with no edits needed.
PlanAssist validates application documents and drawings, checks them against heritage rules and planning policy, flags prior objections, and drafts a cited report that an officer can edit before deciding. Planning officers keep the final say on every application. The tool is now moving into a 12-month beta using live applications, with the UK government aiming to offer it to all English councils in 2027, pending successful testing.
Why it matters
It shows a concrete, government-backed example of AI cutting administrative time in a public service while keeping a human decision-maker in the loop.
Source: Google DeepMind