The government has launched two new artificial intelligence (AI) tools for councils to utilise across the country in a bid to speed up planning decisions and free up local authority planning officers.

The first tool, Extract, is designed to reduce the time needed to convert old planning applications into digital records from one to two hours to a matter of minutes, using Google DeepMind’s Gemini model.

The tool, first unveiled in April 2025, has now been made available to all councils in England, following the prime minister’s pledge to introduce it by spring 2026.

A second AI prototype has also been unveiled that is designed to halve the time it takes to process homeowners’ planning applications from an eight- to four-week average.

This tool will be used to speed up decisions on smaller plans, such as home extensions and loft conversions.

The prototype is currently in its early testing stages with Barnet, Camden and Dorset councils. It has been created by government together with Google DeepMind, Google Cloud, Faculty and local planning authorities.

Housing minister Matthew Pennycook said: “Our planning system remains heavily reliant on cumbersome paper-based processes that consume the time of expert planning officers and cause delays on even the most routine types of application.

“We are dragging the system into the 21st century by harnessing the power of AI to streamline the planning application process, freeing up planners to make quicker and better decisions and reducing unnecessary delays.”

Data and modern digital government minister Ian Murray added: “When someone wants to add a bedroom or convert their loft, they shouldn’t be waiting months for a straightforward decision. And planning officers shouldn’t be spending hours digging through decades of paper records when making the decisions that really matter.

“These tools give planning officers better support to make quicker decisions and give families the answers they deserve, faster. This isn’t about replacing the expertise and judgement of planning professionals; it’s about taking admin off their desks so they can focus on the skilled work their communities need most.”