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Eight weeks down to four, and a loft conversion that no longer waits for a committee

Qurexa Editorial Team31 October 20268 min read 0 0
Eight weeks down to four, and a loft conversion that no longer waits for a committee

What happened

On 30 October 2026, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government announced two changes to how planning applications are handled in England. Both are aimed at the same problem: how long decisions take. The first change took legal effect on 31 October 2026. It is called the National Scheme of Delegation. Under it, straightforward applications - the examples given are loft conversions and small improvements to business premises - are decided by expert planning officers instead of waiting for a slot at a planning committee meeting. The government says this will get decisions to families and businesses sooner, give applicants more certainty, and free councillors to focus on the most significant developments. The second change is about software. An artificial intelligence tool called PlanAssist is being expanded from three councils to fifteen. It was developed with Google DeepMind, Google Cloud, Faculty and local authorities. It brings applications, policies and site constraints into one place for trained officers to review, and gives an evidence-backed initial assessment. The department was explicit on a point that matters: officers remain responsible for decisions, and the tool is not mandatory. The original three councils were Camden, Barnet and Dorset. The twelve added are Ashford, Lambeth, Newcastle, Nottingham, Bristol, Cumberland, North Lincolnshire, Rochdale, Redbridge, South Gloucestershire, Stoke-on-Trent and Westminster. The trial will run for 12 months, with the aim of reaching every council in England by the end of 2027. Angela Rayner, the Housing Secretary, said: 'We're giving councils the people, tools and reforms they need to get applications moving faster.' Kanishka Narayan, the AI Minister, said: 'This is what putting AI to work for the public looks like in practice.'

Why this matters

If you have ever applied to extend a house, you will know the particular frustration of waiting without knowing why. Here is the scale of it. The department says householder applications make up nearly 70% of all planning applications each year. That is the overwhelming bulk of the work: extensions, loft conversions, dormer windows, garage changes. Very few of them are controversial. Many of them, until now, could end up queued for a committee meeting that sits once a month. Moving those decisions to planning officers is not a new idea. Most councils already delegated a lot of decisions. What the National Scheme of Delegation does is make it consistent across England, so applicants know what to expect rather than discovering that their neighbouring council works differently. For people waiting, the practical difference is time. The government says PlanAssist helps halve processing for routine householder applications, from eight weeks to four. Four weeks instead of eight, on the most common type of application, is the kind of change people actually notice - a builder booked sooner, a decision before winter, a family able to plan. There is a wider reason this matters too. Planning delays are one of the standard explanations for why Britain does not build enough homes. The department points to 420 newly recruited planners through government-backed programmes, exceeding a 2024 manifesto commitment of 300, with a target of 1,400 new recruits across the planning system by the end of this Parliament. Software cannot fix a shortage of people, and the government is treating both at once, which is the sensible order of things.

What the evidence actually says

The headline evidence is one number, and it is worth reading it precisely. The department says early testing cut time spent on key planning tasks by 58%. Note what that measures: time spent on tasks, not the total time an application takes from submission to decision. Those are different things. An application can sit waiting for weeks without anyone spending time on it. Speeding up the work does not automatically speed up the queue, though it should help. The 'eight weeks to four' claim is the government's statement of what it believes the tool helps achieve for routine householder applications. It follows a trial in Camden, Barnet and Dorset. Three councils is a small base, and that is presumably why the next step is a 12-month run across 15 councils rather than immediate national rollout. Testing something properly before extending it is a good sign, not a weak one. The design detail that should reassure people is the division of labour. PlanAssist gathers applications, policies and site constraints into one place and offers an initial assessment. The decision stays with a trained human officer, and councils do not have to use the tool at all. This matters because a planning decision can be challenged in court, and someone has to be accountable for it. 'The computer said so' is not a defensible position, and the government has not claimed it is. There is a long-standing counter-argument worth acknowledging. Critics of planning reform have argued for years that an obsession with speeding up decision-making can undermine the quality of those decisions. That concern is not answered by a 58% figure. It will be answered, or not, by what the 15 councils produce over 12 months - including how many decisions are appealed or overturned. Those are the numbers worth asking for in late 2027. One more honest caveat about the reporting. Some secondary coverage of these reforms has attributed them to the wrong ministers. The names and titles above come from the government's own release.

Practical advice

If you are planning building work, here is how to use this. **Check whether you need permission at all.** A surprising amount of work falls under permitted development rights, meaning no application is needed. The Planning Portal and your council's website explain this. Checking first can save you months. **Expect your application to be decided by an officer, not a committee.** For straightforward householder work, that is now the standard route in England. This is normal and it is not a sign your application is being treated less seriously. **Submit a complete application.** This is the single biggest thing in your control. Missing drawings, unclear measurements and absent supporting information are a common reason applications stall. A delay caused by incomplete paperwork is not fixed by faster software. **Do not bank on four weeks.** The eight-to-four figure applies to routine householder applications and relates to the councils using the new tool. If your council is not one of the fifteen, or your application is not routine, plan for longer. Do not sign a contract with a builder that assumes a date you cannot control. **If AI involvement bothers you, ask.** Councils are not required to use PlanAssist, and officers make the decisions. If you want to know whether a tool was used in assessing your application, you are entitled to ask your council. **If you are refused, read the reasons properly.** Refusal notices set out which policies your proposal conflicted with. Often a modified application succeeds. An appeal is not the only option, and it is usually slower than reapplying with changes.

What to know

Two changes to planning in England were announced by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on 30 October 2026. From 31 October 2026, the National Scheme of Delegation means straightforward applications such as loft conversions and small business premises improvements are decided by planning officers rather than waiting for a planning committee. Householder applications make up nearly 70% of applications each year. Separately, an AI tool called PlanAssist expands from three councils to fifteen for a 12-month run, with the aim of reaching every council in England by the end of 2027. It was built with Google DeepMind, Google Cloud, Faculty and local authorities. Early testing cut time spent on key planning tasks by 58%, and the government says it helps halve processing for routine householder applications from eight weeks to four. The fifteen councils are Camden, Barnet, Dorset, Ashford, Lambeth, Newcastle, Nottingham, Bristol, Cumberland, North Lincolnshire, Rochdale, Redbridge, South Gloucestershire, Stoke-on-Trent and Westminster. Crucially, officers remain responsible for decisions and the tool is not mandatory. The government also reports 420 newly recruited planners, against a 2024 commitment of 300, and a target of 1,400 across the planning system by the end of this Parliament. The measure to watch is not the 58%. It is whether decisions made faster hold up on appeal. Sources: GOV.UK (Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government), 'Faster planning decisions as new rules and AI tackle delays', 30 October 2026, https://www.gov.uk/government/news/faster-planning-decisions-as-new-rules-and-ai-tackle-delays; Womble Bond Dickinson, 'Are you ready for the National Scheme of Delegation? Planning decision-making changes from 31 October 2026', 2026, https://www.womblebonddickinson.com/uk/insights/articles-and-briefings/are-you-ready-national-scheme-delegation-planning-decision-making-changes-31-october-2026; MHCLG Digital blog, 'Using AI to support planning decisions: what it means for planners and residents', 19 June 2026, https://mhclgdigital.blog.gov.uk/2026/06/19/using-ai-to-support-planning-decisions-what-it-means-for-planners-and-residents/ This article is for general information and is not planning, legal or professional advice. For advice about your own property or application, speak to your local planning authority or a qualified planning professional.

#planning#artificial intelligence#local government#housing#public services#England

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