# Google DeepMind's AI planning assistant is expanding to 12 more UK councils for a year-long trial on live applications.

> Google DeepMind's PlanAssist is moving from a three-council pilot to a 12-month trial on live applications with 12 more UK councils.

Published 2026-10-31T12:18:06-07:00 · News · Canonical: https://news.littlewolflabs.com/posts/2026-10-31-planassist-uk-councils

Google DeepMind built PlanAssist, a tool made with Gemini that helps council planning officers in England assess applications for things like home extensions ([Google DeepMind on X](https://x.com/GoogleDeepMind/status/2116524000977285321)). It checks the documents and drawings, flags local restrictions such as protected trees, compares the plans with local and national planning rules and past objections, and drafts a report with citations that the officer then edits ([DeepMind blog](https://deepmind.google/blog/speeding-up-planning-decisions-with-ai/)). DeepMind says it cut the time officers spent assessing householder applications by up to 58% in a pilot with Barnet, Camden and Dorset. It's now moving into a 12-month trial on live applications, with 12 more councils joining in three groups, including Lambeth, Westminster, Bristol and Newcastle. DeepMind says routine householder applications make up as much as 70% of planning officers' workload. The UK government says it plans to offer the tool to every council in England by the end of 2027 if testing goes well, with a qualified planning officer reviewing and approving every assessment ([GOV.UK](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/faster-planning-decisions-as-new-rules-and-ai-tackle-delays)). It was announced alongside a separate rule change, in effect from today, that lets planning officers rather than council committees decide more straightforward applications. As the trade site [National Construction News](https://nationalconstructionnews.co.uk/news/officers-take-over-routine-planning-decisions-as-planassist-ai-test-grows-to-15/) noted, no method behind the 58% figure has been published, and councils won't be required to use the tool.

*What to watch:* whether the year-long trial on real applications backs up the pilot's time savings, and how councils handle the officer sign-off when the AI drafts the report. If it holds up, England plans to offer it to every council by the end of 2027.