New tech tool 'Extract' set to streamline planning approvals
Faced with grim housing statistics and mounting doubt over his government’s homebuilding promises, Prime Minister Keir Starmer (pictured) has done what any modern leader might consider in a crisis: he’s handed the problem to artificial intelligence.
With planning approvals in England plunging to a 13-year low, two-thirds of UK adults are unconvinced that Labour will hit its 1.5 million homes target, and Savills forecasts that the government is unlikely to meet its housing goal, Starmer introduced a new AI-powered assistant named Extract.
Unveiled at London Tech Week, Extract was developed in collaboration with Google and promises to digitise mountains of handwritten planning records in seconds. The aim: to drag the planning system out of the analogue age and help the government deliver on its headline promise of building 1.5 million homes.
“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,” Starmer said.
Our outdated planning system has held us back for too long.
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) June 9, 2025
Not anymore.
Today we’re announcing a new government-built AI tool that will help planning officers cut red tape, speed up decisions, and unlock homes for hard-working people through our Plan for Change.
Extract aims to address the root of the problem — an outdated, paper-heavy planning system. Each year, around 350,000 applications are submitted in England, with many relying on physical documents and maps that must be reviewed manually.
Trials of Extract across councils in Hillingdon, Nuneaton & Bedworth, and Exeter have shown the tool could process a single planning file in just three minutes, a task that would typically take up to two hours.
Tony Mulhall, senior specialist for land and resources at RICS, welcomed the move but offered a note of caution. “Today’s announcement is an exciting step forward for the digital transformation of the planning system, which is essential to significantly speed up the planning process and the delivery of new homes and infrastructure,” he said.
“The trials have clearly been a success, but rolling this technology out across local authorities will require time and investment, a significant short-term challenge given the pressures local authority planning teams are already facing. As well as implementation in England, the government should also facilitate access of this technology in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.”
Building Britain's future, faster 🏠
— Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (@SciTechgovuk) June 9, 2025
Thanks to a government-built AI tool, Extract, decades-old planning documents are converted into data, in minutes⏱️
Faster planning decisions = quicker access to new homes, delivering on government's target to build 1.5M new homes@i_dot_ai pic.twitter.com/F9TTs976wj
According to the government, the technology could allow councils to process around 100 planning records per day, potentially saving thousands of hours annually and reducing delays. Extract is expected to be rolled out to all English councils by spring 2026, as part of a wider effort to digitise the planning process and increase transparency. The data will be made publicly available through a gov.uk platform, and officials are exploring an app-based version of the tool to streamline access.
While the technology is still in its early days, officials say it forms part of a broader push to modernise the planning system and stimulate economic growth. Since July, ministers have approved 18 nationally significant infrastructure projects, including airports, solar farms, and commercial developments. The upcoming Planning and Infrastructure Bill is also expected to give new powers to speed up critical housing and infrastructure delivery.
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