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The Digital Planning team

The Digital Planning Team at MHCLG

Using AI to support planning decisions – what it means for planners and residents

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Artificial Intelligence, Data, Digital Planning
Minister for Data and Modern Digital Government Ian Murray, visiting Barnet Council to speak to council officers and see first-hand how the prototype is being developed.

A new AI planning prototype, developed with Google DeepMind and Faculty, is being tested with three local planning authorities to help officers process applications faster. The tool analyses applications and surfaces relevant policies while planning officers remain the key decision makers. Our ambition is to halve processing times for householder applications.

Extract is here: AI-powered planning data for every council in England 

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Extract, a new AI-powered tool developed by MHCLG's Digital Planning Programme and i.AI, is now available for free, for every local planning authority in England. It converts planning documents into structured, usable data in minutes - cutting a process that can take officers up to two hours down to just two on average.

Data standards: Laying the groundwork for an open, faster, data-driven planning system 

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graphic showing file inputs into a computer screen from planning data.gov.uk

Regulations have been laid in Parliament requiring local planning authorities to publish plan and timetable data in a standardised format, when creating local, minerals, waste or supplementary plans under the new plan-making system. This marks a major step towards a more open, data-driven planning system.

Extract: unlocking England’s planning data

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a group of people sitting around a table looking at a big screen showing the Extract tool

England's planning system holds decades of valuable data locked in scanned PDFs and digital documents. Extract, an AI tool developed by MHCLG in partnership with the Incubator for Artificial Intelligence, converts historic planning maps and documents into standardised, usable data - so local authorities can make their data available and power digital planning services.

The planning technology projects changing the planning system

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Artificial Intelligence, Digital Planning, PropTech
An aerial view of a residential area

New technology is transforming how planning is delivered. 3 of the 4 finalists in this year's Planning Awards' digital technology category are funded by the Digital Planning programme, demonstrating how AI tools and technology are saving time, improving consistency and helping deliver 1.5 million homes.

Transforming planning with PlanX and new funding to help local planning authorities reap the rewards

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Data, Digital Planning, Planning software
Mobile phone in a person's hand displaying the PlanX interface

Local planning authorities are modernising planning services using open data. New software like PlanX is improving the experience for applicants, while back-office improvements are speeding up processing. New funding will help more authorities adopt tools and make improvements, freeing up planning teams to focus on delivering the homes communities need.

Stress-testing an AI tool to explore its potential for faster local plans and greater citizen engagement 

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A planning officer sitting at a desk with the PlanAI tool displayed on the computer screen in front of her.

We’re exploring if AI can help support faster local plan preparation. An AI tool developed by Greater Cambridge Shared Planning and the University of Liverpool is now being stress-tested by 5 local authorities, to see if the initial results – accurate consultation summaries produced in a fraction of the time - can be replicated elsewhere.

More local planning authorities commit to making their planning data open and join Open Digital Planning 

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Members of Open Digital Planning at tables during an event

Planning data locked in PDFs and legacy systems creates barriers for everyone. This February, 49 more local planning authorities are joining the Digital Planning Improvement Fund to publish essential planning data in open, standardised formats making it easier for residents, businesses and developers to find what they need.

A year of transforming England’s planning system 

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The Open Digital Planning community gathering at an event in Medway, in 2025

Read about our year transforming England's planning system through new partnerships, innovations and momentum. Everything we do aims to give communities a planning system that is data-driven, efficient and accessible, supporting the government's mission to deliver 1.5 million homes this Parliament.

Digital planning transformation gains momentum  

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Digital Planning
A large group of people posing for a picture

Open Digital Planning (ODP) is becoming a powerful force for change in local government, allowing planning authorities to modernise planning services. With 24 authorities joining this month, through the Digital Planning Improvement Fund, the movement is gaining momentum. Read about how ODP brings councils and experts together to drive innovation in the planning sector.