UK government hires Google to develop AI planning tool to make "near-instant decisions"

Technology company Google is set to develop an AI tool to speed up planning decisions for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

Google Cloud, Google's suite of cloud computing services, was awarded an £6.9 million contract to develop an AI tool by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on behalf of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).

"Near-instant decisions for straightforward applications"

The AI tool will aim to significantly reduce the processing time for planning applications by assisting planning officers with automated administrative and analytical processes. It is being designed to cut processing times in half.

"The objective is to dramatically reduce planning application processing times, initially targeting a reduction from upwards of eight weeks to circa four weeks, with a long-term vision of near-instant decisions for straightforward applications," said MHCLG in the contract award notice.

Some of the processes set to be automated by AI include policy research and compliance assessments, generating citations and reports, identifying material considerations, evaluating planning balance, and decision reasoning.

Google Cloud was selected following a two-week prototype-building period. It beat out four other tech companies, including AtkinsRéalis UK, Cognizant Worldwide, Endava, and PA Consulting Services.

The contract began on 17 February and will run until 17 May 2028, with a possible 12-month extension.

Once the tool has been built, it will be made available to local planning authorities and other bodies that process applications. It will first be rolled out for householder developments, which make up 69 per cent of planning applications.

Last year, planning approvals for new homes in the UK hit a record low. Around 7,000 housing applications were granted permission between April and June 2025, the lowest in a three-month period since records began in 1979.

Other AI stories that have featured on Dezeen include a humanoid robot designed by LG to undertake household chores, and a design for a house created by an AI-powered robot.

The photography is by Karollyne Videira Hubert via Unsplash.

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