Councils could use new AI tool to ‘digitise records and cut planning backlogs’

Councils are expected to start using a new artificial intelligence (AI) tool to digitise old planning documents and cut backlogs as part of the Government’s drive to build 1.5 million homes.

Ministers hope the technology will help boost efficiency and prevent errors in record-keeping by turning blurry maps and handwritten notes into “machine-readable, shareable data”.

The tool, named Extract and developed by a team within the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), will undergo several rounds of safety testing before being deployed as early as this year.

The Government says it could drastically reduce the time needed to convert old paper records into digital form, performing in 40 seconds tasks which typically take planners one to two hours to complete.

Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said sluggish processes and outdated documents had made it “nearly impossible” for local authorities to take informed decisions quickly.

“Technology like this could be a vital step towards councils meeting targets to help build the 1.5 million new homes the country needs, all while updating and improving the planning system for the future,” he said.

DSIT said the tool could potentially be used across the public sector because “location-specific data is used to deliver services and inform Government policy and decisions across departments.”

Sir Keir Starmer has said proposals for the wider digitisation across public services under his administration could achieve productivity savings of up to £45 billion a year.

The key question is whether the Government can effectively scale up these new AI tools

Labour’s plans also include streamlining the planning process by cutting red tape and giving councils new powers to seize land to speed up building as part of its flagship Planning and Infrastructure Bill.

Joe Hill, policy director at the Reform public services think tank, welcomed the focus on new technology for local authorities but warned its benefits would only come if many councils are using the software day to day.

He told the PA news agency: ““It is great to see the Government embracing new technology in public services. We will not achieve a leaner and more productive state without radical transformation through technology.

“The key question is whether the Government can effectively scale up these new AI tools.

“Our research has highlighted how Government regularly pilots new tools, then doesn’t scale them up – but the benefits only come if lots of councils are using this kind of software day to day.”

He added: “However, the Government’s mission to meet the housing crisis with ambitious targets for new homes won’t be met by simply digitising a broken planning system, it needs to fundamentally reform planning processes themselves to create a system which incentivises housebuilding”.