English Councils Begin Trialling Google AI Planning Tool in Push to Cut Decision Times
Four English councils have begun testing a government-commissioned planning tool built on Google's Gemini model, in an initiative that ministers say could slash planning application processing times from eight weeks to near-instant decisions for straightforward cases — and help unlock the 1.5 million new homes promised in Labour's manifesto.
Background
Britain's planning system has long been identified as one of the most significant structural barriers to housebuilding. In the year to June 2025, planning approvals for new homes reached a record low, with only around 7,000 housing applications granted permission between April and June — the lowest figure since 1979. The backlog of unprocessed applications, combined with chronic understaffing in local planning departments, has created a system that frustrates developers, delays housing delivery, and imposes significant costs on applicants.
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), acting on behalf of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, awarded Google Cloud a £6.9 million contract in February 2026 to develop the planning tool, named Extract. The contract runs until May 2028, with a potential 12-month extension. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has personally championed the initiative as part of his Plan for Change to deliver a planning system fit for the 21st century.
The tool uses Google's Gemini model, which has advanced visual reasoning and multi-modal capabilities, to convert traditional paper-based planning documents — including blurry maps and handwritten notes — into clear digital data in approximately 40 seconds. A process that previously took a planning professional up to two hours can now be completed almost instantaneously.
Key Developments
Testing began in May 2026 with four councils: Hillingdon Council, Westminster City Council, Nuneaton and Bedworth Council, and Exeter City Council. The tool is designed to automate a range of administrative and analytical tasks, including policy research, compliance assessments, generating citations and reports, identifying material considerations, evaluating planning balance, and decision reasoning.
The initial focus is on householder developments — extensions, loft conversions, and similar applications — which constitute 69% of all planning applications. English councils process around 350,000 planning applications annually, and the government's ambition is to reduce processing times from the current average of over eight weeks to approximately four weeks in the short term, with a long-term vision of near-instant decisions for straightforward cases.
Google will support the national scaling of Extract through hosting on Google Cloud, along with engineering advice. The tool is expected to be made available to all English councils by spring 2026, subject to the outcome of the current trials.
Why It Matters
The planning system is not merely a bureaucratic inconvenience — it is a fundamental constraint on Britain's ability to build the homes it needs. Labour's manifesto commitment to 1.5 million new homes over the parliament is widely regarded as ambitious to the point of being unrealistic under the current system. If Extract can genuinely reduce processing times and free up planning officers to focus on complex, contested applications rather than routine paperwork, it could make a meaningful contribution to unlocking housing supply.
However, the initiative also raises important questions. Planning decisions are not merely technical exercises — they involve judgements about community character, heritage, environmental impact, and democratic accountability. The risk that technology-assisted decision-making could reduce the quality of those judgements, or create new forms of bias, deserves serious scrutiny. Unlike Scotland, which has pursued a more cautious approach to technology in public services, England is moving quickly — and the consequences of getting it wrong would be felt in communities across the country.
Local Impact
For homeowners and developers across England, faster planning decisions would be a tangible benefit. The average householder extension application currently takes over eight weeks to process, during which time building work cannot begin. In areas of high housing demand — London, the South East, and major northern cities — the backlog of applications represents a significant drag on housing delivery. In Northern Ireland, the Planning Appeals Commission and local councils operate under a separate system, but the success or failure of the English trial will be watched closely by Stormont officials considering similar reforms. In the Republic of Ireland, where An Bord Pleanala has faced its own controversies over planning delays, the Google trial will be of considerable interest.
What's Next
The four pilot councils will report on their experience with Extract over the coming months. A decision on national rollout to all English councils is expected by late spring 2026. The government has indicated it will publish data on processing time improvements as the trial progresses. Parliamentary scrutiny of the £6.9 million Google contract is expected, with questions likely to be raised about data security, accountability, and the role of human oversight in technology-assisted planning decisions.
Sources: Google Blog — UK government harnesses Gemini for planning decisions; Dezeen — UK government hires Google to develop planning tool
