Exeter selected by government to help deliver pioneering new AI system

Exeter has been named as one of three local authorities helping to develop a powerful new AI tool as part of the government’s wider ambition to use artificial intelligence to drive national growth, modernise public services, and improve lives. 

Exeter has been named as one of three local authorities helping to develop a powerful new AI tool as part of the government’s wider ambition to use artificial intelligence to drive national growth, modernise public services, and improve lives. 

Planning permissions will be sped up as the Government rolls out the new AI tool which can scan hundreds of files in seconds – making it easier to make home improvements, while turbocharging the Plan for Change milestone to build 1.5 million homes. 

Speaking at London Tech Week, the Prime Minister announced the launch of “Extract” – an AI assistant for planning officers and local councils, developed by government with support from Google. 

For the first time, this cutting-edge technology will help councils convert decades-old, handwritten planning documents and maps into data in minutes – and will power new types of planning software to slash the 250,000 estimated hours spent by planning officers each year manually checking these documents. This will dramatically reduce delays that have long plagued the system. 

Around 350,000 planning applications are submitted a year in England, yet the system remains heavily reliant on paper documents – some hundreds of pages long. Once submitted, each of these documents needs to be manually validated and approved by a planning officer.   

Exeter will work alongside Hillingdon and Nuneaton & Bedworth councils on the project. 

Extract has been able to digitise planning records, including maps, in just three minutes each – compared to the 1–2 hours it typically takes manually. This means Extract could process around 100 planning records a day – significantly speeding up the process. 

This represents a step-change in productivity, freeing up thousands of hours for planning officers to focus on decision-making to speed up housebuilding. It will also accelerate the delivery of much-needed housing, improve reliability in the planning process and reduce costs and save time for councils and developers.  

Extract is expected to be made available to all councils by Spring 2026. The government’s ambition is to fully digitise the planning system - making it faster, more transparent, and easier to navigate for working people, councils, businesses and developers.  

The rollout will help deliver the government’s Plan for Change milestone to build 1.5 million homes over the next Parliament and is part of the government’s efforts to harness tech and AI to deliver change and renewal for working people. 

It also comes alongside the government’s wider efforts to digitise the planning system, building on an estimated £59.4m per year spent by councils on digital planning and housing software, delivering an estimated time and cost saving of £527m for the public sector each year. 

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “For too long, our outdated planning system has held back our country— slowing down the development of vital infrastructure and making it harder to get the homes we need built.  

“This government is working hand in hand with business to change that. With Extract, we’re harnessing the power of AI to help planning officers cut red tape, speed up decisions, and unlock the new homes for hard-working people as part of our Plan for Change.  

“It’s a bold step forward in our mission to build 1.5 million more homes and deliver a planning system that’s fit for the 21st century.”  

Deputy Prime Minister and Housing Secretary Angela Rayner said: “From day one we made an unwavering promise to use every tool at our disposal to build the 1.5 million homes and vital infrastructure through our Plan for Change that our local communities desperately need.   

“By using cutting-edge technology like Extract we can fix the broken planning system, cut delays, save money, and also reduce burdens on councils to help pave the way for the biggest building boom in a generation.”  

Exeter’s participation positions it at the forefront of public service innovation, supporting its goal of delivering faster, more efficient planning services. 

City Council Leader Phil Bialyk said he was delighted that Exeter has been chosen to participate. 

He said: “We are a forward-thinking and innovative city, and it is great to be recognised in this way at the highest level by being asked to take part in this exciting initiative.” 

Chief Executive Bindu Arjoon said: “I am so pleased that Exeter City Council has been selected by the government as one of the locations to assess the use of AI to support and enhance the services that we deliver. 

“The concept is really exciting and could transform the way planning departments work, and we really want to be at the forefront of this advance.”