"They're using AI to be able to provide better objection documents, much wider and much broader, which is slowing the system down, because obviously those things need to be dealt with in the right way. It's certainly what we're seeing local authorities suffer from."
"Until recently, mounting a credible objection to a retail park, brownfield redevelopment or housing scheme typically meant hiring a planning consultant, often at a cost running into thousands of pounds. AI has collapsed that barrier almost overnight."
"Objector.ai, one of a small but fast-growing crop of consumer-facing services, promises "strong, policy-backed objections in minutes" for £45 per full planning application, with a £249 crowdfunded option for residents who want to pool against bigger housing schemes."
"The warning comes from Geoff Keal, chief executive of TerraQuest, the company that runs the national planning portal under a joint venture with central government. The portal handles roughly 95 per cent of all planning applications in the UK, giving Keal a near-unique vantage point on what is actually happening on the ground."
Cheap AI chatbot services allow residents to produce detailed, policy-laced planning objections in minutes at low cost. These tools reduce reliance on expensive planning consultants and enable broader, more comprehensive objection documents. The resulting volume of objections is clogging town halls and slowing planning decisions across England. The national planning portal processes about 95% of UK planning applications, providing a view of the impact on local authorities. Ministers are trying to “unstick” the planning system to support economic growth and a pledge to deliver 1.5 million new homes, but the system faces strain from construction skills shortages and rising build costs. AI-enabled objections add further pressure to already stretched council planners.
Read at Business Matters
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