AI-Powered Planning Validation: Cutting Through Delays and Complexity

Sir Keir Starmer has outlined the UK Government’s commitment to using AI to modernise public services, with Planning at the forefront of this transformation.

The need for change is clear. AI-driven automation can transform the planning process, reducing delays, improving accuracy, and making the system more efficient.

At IEG Group, we continue to drive innovation in planning technology. Our AI Planning Validator now includes significant improvements, with a redesigned configurator to simplify the configuration and management of validation rules and the implementation of Large Language Models (LLMs) which enhance the validation process.

We have overhauled the AI Validator’s configurator with a new UI to make rules configuration more intuitive and efficient for our customers. Key improvements include:

• Simplified navigation: Clear categories and subcategories make finding and applying rules easier.
• Merged views: The consolidation of views streamlines processes and ensures rules are applied consistently.
• More accurate validation: Enhancements reduce errors and improve the reliability of planning application assessments.

All new customers will benefit from these improvements immediately. Existing customers who have collaborated with Agile Applications (part of IEG Group) during the development and testing phase are already migrating to the improved configurator.

To enhance planning application validation even further, we’ve integrated OpenAI’s LLM into the AI Planning Validator. This enhancement brings new levels of intelligence to the validation process.

Traditional validation methods have relied on keyword detection, which can sometimes produce less accurate results when analysing a planning proposal. Our LLM-powered AI Validator now:

• Understands the full context: Analyses the entire proposal to assess the scope of work accurately.
• Applies the right rules: Ensures the correct validation criteria are used, improving precision and reducing errors.
• Reduces unnecessary delays: Increases the accuracy and speeds up the validation.

The AI Validator uses advanced machine learning models to identify and categorise drawings submitted with planning applications. Now, with OpenAI’s LLM, we have taken this a step further:

• Validates drawings automatically: Ensures key documents like elevations and floorplans are included.
• Improves rule application: Matches drawings to the correct validation rules with greater accuracy.
• Minimises missing information errors: Helps Planning Officers spot missing documents faster, reducing delays for applicants.

These enhancements mean fewer and more focussed interactions between councils and applicants and agents, allowing applications to progress more efficiently than ever before.

Data security is a top priority. The AI Validator operates within a secure framework, ensuring compliance with data protection requirements:

• All data is processed and stored within IEG Group’s Microsoft Azure UK-based data centres.
• OpenAI integration runs within IEG Group’s Microsoft Azure tenancy, meaning no data leaves our controlled environment.
• Customer data is not used to train OpenAI’s models.
• The use of OpenAI’s LLM is only enabled once reviewed and approved by the customer’s Data Protection Team.

With AI-driven enhancements, planning validation is no longer constrained by outdated, manual processes. By simplifying configuration and leveraging OpenAI’s capabilities, we are making planning more efficient.

The UK government is pushing for AI adoption to improve public services. With tools like the AI Validator, Local Government planning authorities and Developers can embrace this change, reduce the administrative burden and deliver projects faster.

The future of planning is not just faster, it is smarter. The time for change is now.