When AI Meets Planning: Why Human Expertise Still Matters

The tentacles of Artificial Intelligence (AI) are rapidly infiltrating very many areas of everyday life, with planning and development no exception. 

Undoubtedly, AI can be seen as a positive and useful tool in the streamlining of complex workflows and managing of vast datasets to support those involved in the planning process, but it should be used with great caution, as outlined in the Planning Inspectorates Guidance (September 2024).

In practice, the use of AI in the world of planning is not without risk and can prove inaccurate. 

It should be noted that it is now a requirement to declare the use of AI when submitting a planning application or appeal.  Failure to declare this information can have significant adverse consequences.

We are keen to stress that AI should not replace the need for the nuanced expert knowledge and human judgement of an experienced chartered planning consultant for clients wishing to achieve the best outcomes when making planning submissions. 

Working Collaboratively with AI

AI provides a tool to allow planners and developers to work collaboratively on live models of sites and projects. It can assist in highlighting potential constraints and possible opportunities for a proposed scheme. AI is also a very useful tool for providing summaries of lengthy documents, flagging risks, accelerating repetitive daily tasks and offering a platform for starting conversations with interested parties about a development scheme.

What it can’t do is provide an expert understanding of the local character of an area, the political context likely to influence decision making, the overall lived experience of a community and how planning policy is actually applied. 

It is for these reasons that chartered planning consultants remain essential in interpreting evidence, shaping the narrative and exercising professional judgement and negotiations in order to deliver development through a ‘human lens’ that no algorithm is able to fully grasp.  

A Word of Caution

Although AI has the ability to greatly assist planners in their daily tasks, the use of this tool comes with its own risks. By solely relying on AI to produce planning statements or supporting documents, the result could be reports that lack detailed intellectual rigour and use tests that rely on potentially ‘fake’ misinformation that do not address the key points that are individual to the specific characterising of a site. 

The use of incorrect information generated by AI in the submission of planning applications and appeals could open applicants and appellants up to claims of unreasonable behaviour. Indeed, recent appeal decisions have indicated that the Planning Inspectorate has awarded cost decisions where planning statements have failed to address or acknowledge the use of AI in producing planning documentation.

It is for these reasons that the Planning Inspectorate's Guidance (referred to above) requires for all elements of AI used in planning application submissions to be declared in a short supporting statement. By declaring where AI has been used to inform a planning application or appeal, the decision maker is able to exercise their professional expertise and apply appropriate weight to the accuracy of information provided in order to come to a balanced and professional decision about the case.

Future of AI and what that means for Chartered Planning Consultants

It is evident that the future of planning will inevitably involve the use of AI. However, while AI can be used as a tool to accelerate mundane daily tasks and as a starting point for collaborative working, it is unable to replace the value and judgement of an experienced chartered planning consultant whose skill and expertise can combine the human element with professional knowledge. 

If you would like to discuss discuss any planning or development questions you may have, please do feel free to contact us for an informal chat. 

With Chartered Town Planners, in-house RIBA architects, and offices in Somerset and Devon, our team is well placed to support you through the whole planning and architectural design process. 

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