Google DeepMind is expanding PlanAssist to 12 more local authorities
After initial trials in three councils, the Gemini-based PlanAssist tool is expanding to a 12-month live beta across 15 local authorities in England.
AT A GLANCE
Key points
- PlanAssist is expanding from three pilot councils to 15 local authorities.
- DeepMind reports a 58% reduction in time spent on assessment tasks during early testing.
- The tool drafts cited reports, while planning officers retain the final decision.
What is changing?
Google DeepMind and the UK government are expanding the Gemini-based PlanAssist tool to 12 more local authorities in England. The move brings the 12-month live beta to 15 councils after initial pilots in Barnet, Camden, and Dorset. PlanAssist validates application documents and architectural drawings, checks local and national planning policies and heritage constraints, and drafts cited assessment reports that qualified officers can edit.
DeepMind says early testing reduced the average time officers spent on householder-assessment tasks by 58%, while more than 70% of generated reports were approved without edits. These are early results reported by the developer and government, not an independent final impact evaluation.
Qualified planning officers will retain the final decision on every application. Subject to successful testing, the government intends to make the tool available to all councils in England by the end of 2027, although adoption will not be mandatory.
Explore the original sources
Source date: 30 October 2026.
Published by AI Radar: 2 Nov 2026, 14:14 (Istanbul, UTC+3).
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