Planning enters the ‘Age of AI’

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is everywhere, it is transforming the economy and the world of work and planning is no different. New tools are coming to the market capable of analysing data, identifying themes, and interpreting policy and they are being deployed by government and opponents of building alike. While the sector is still far from automated decision-making, the direction of travel is increasingly clear as ministers place a greater emphasis on digital planning and under-pressure local authorities look for ways to manage their heavy workloads. So, what does this look like in practice? Let’s unpack.

What’s happened so far? The government’s big embrace of AI-assisted planning started this summer. Their new tool, Extract, uses AI to convert decades of unstructured planning documents into usable data. The idea is to support faster validation and more consistent decision-making. The Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government (MHCLG) is also running pilots testing whether AI models can identify key policies and constraints across planning submissions. This approach is set to accelerate with the Technology Secretary Liz Kendall recently identifying planning as a new “AI sandbox” with the sector set to benefit from bespoke regulations to encourage the rollout of machine learning.

Local authorities are using the technology too, adapting tools to ease pressures on their planning teams. A number of councils are trialing AI-assisted validation and document summarisation to reduce time spent on administrative checks. Others are using sentiment analysis to process large volumes of consultation responses during plan-making and major applications. The current approach sees AI used as a tool for assisting humans to make faster and better-informed decisions.

How does this assist local communities and individuals? The emergence of accessible and easy-to-use language models has changed community dynamics around planning. Community groups are increasingly using AI to interpret technical documents and draft objections to planning applications. This has lowered barriers for individuals and groups who might previously have struggled to navigate the volume and complexity of planning information. As more people adopt these tools, planning consultations are likely to attract a greater number of detailed responses, placing more pressure on both applicants and councils to demonstrate the robustness of their proposals.

Will this speed up planning? For the planning system, this shift raises questions that have yet to be answered. AI tools depend heavily on the quality and consistency of their underlying datasets, which remain inconsistent across the country despite the ongoing efforts to digitise.

Then there is the problem of volume. Models may help burdened local authorities to process data but they could massively increase the number of responses in the first place, cancelling out some of the time savings and putting Britain’s discretionary planning system under unprecedented pressure. Many of these responses may not even be accurate as residents turn to consumer-facing chatbots determined to please their users. Determining which responses are sound and which are not is going to become increasingly difficult as the volume rises.

AI also presents unique challenges and opportunities for analysing consultation responses both for developers and local authorities. The key here is ensuring that the analysis remains robust and that the nuances a human would pick up aren’t lost. There’s no denying the models can be super useful, but there’s still no substitute for real people with experience and understanding of local issues.

So what do we do now?  With AI integrating further into our lives it is important that we in the built environment sector remain open to the opportunity without losing sight of the challenges. Faster processing and richer data will no doubt serve applicants well, but the expanded response capacity among community groups will also influence decision-making.

As we confront this new age, it is more vital than ever to have a bespoke communications strategy shaped by the specifics of your project. Font Comms are on hand to help as AI reshapes the planning landscape. Please get in touch at hello@fontcomms.com if you would like to chat.