A new artificial intelligence tool is aiming to modernise UK council housing planning by replacing outdated paper systems with high-quality digital data.

Many UK councils still use paper documents and scanned PDFs, slowing down the planning process and resulting in backlogs, inefficiencies, and wasted resources.

To help tackle this, Extract, a generative AI tool, is being built to turn old planning documents—such as blurry maps and handwritten notes—into clear, digital data in around 40 seconds, reducing the 1-2 hours it typically takes planners.

By pulling key information from thousands of files, the tool can help to cut delays, reduce errors in data, speed up planning decisions, and free up planners’ time.

The tool is currently being tested, and could be available to councils later this year.

In addition to supporting the government’s goal of building millions of homes, the government said the tool has potential applications across the public sector, because location-specific data is used to deliver services and inform government policy and decisions across different departments.

News around the AI tool comes after Peter Kyle, the UK technology secretary, revealed a £45 billion jackpot of productivity savings if the public makes good use of technology to improve services and make processes more efficient.

Speaking on the new tool, Kyle said: “The UK’s planning system has been held back for too long by outdated paper documents, slow processes, making it nearly impossible for councils to make informed decisions quickly.

“As part of our Plan for Change, we’re using the power of AI to transform sluggish systems so we can start to rebuild. With Extract, councils will have access to better quality data so they can move more quickly on planning decisions and get on with driving growth.

“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.”

Matthew Pennycook, housing and planning minister, also commented: “To kickstart economic growth and achieve the government’s ambitious Plan for Change milestone of building 1.5 million new homes in this Parliament, we need local planning authorities to be making informed decisions faster.

“By harnessing new technology like Extract, we can tackle backlogs, inefficiencies and waste and ensure councils are focusing precious time and resources on efficiently determining applications to build new homes.”

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Extract builds on a range of planning reforms the government has made in a push to get Britain building.

This includes updating the National Planning Policy Framework, which according to the Office for Budget Responsibility will boost the economy by £6.8 billion and drive housebuilding to its highest level in over 40 years, and through the Planning and Infrastructure Bill.