用 AI 加速规划审批决策

PlanAssist——一款处理常规申请繁重事务的 AI 规划工具，让官员能够将专业能力集中用于最重要的工作——将向英格兰另外 12 个地方规划主管部门开放使用。PlanAssist - an AI planning tool that handles the heavy lifting of routine applications so officers can focus their expertise where it matters most - is to be made available to an additional 12 local planning authorities across England.

在巴尼特、卡姆登和多塞特开展的早期试点测试中，PlanAssist 展现出能够将规划官员处理住宅业主申请评估工作的平均耗时缩短 58%。该工具旨在辅助人工判断，在加快常规核查的同时，确保每项申请的最终决定权仍由规划官员掌握。In early pilot testing across Barnet, Camden, and Dorset, PlanAssist showed it could bring the average time a planning officer spent on householder assessment tasks down by 58%. Designed to support human judgement, the tool speeds up routine checks while ensuring planning officers retain the final say on every application.

规划瓶颈会带来实际成本。对经济而言，它们会拖慢英国政府到 2029 年新建 150 万套住房这一目标的实现进度。对家庭来说，这可能意味着，为一项再简单不过的项目（如阁楼改造、建造阳光房或扩建房屋）等待数月才能获批。PlanAssist 基于 Gemini 构建，是 Google DeepMind 与英国政府开展的更广泛合作的一部分，双方旨在探索人工智能如何助力变革规划及其他公共服务。Planning bottlenecks have real costs. For the economy, they slow progress toward the UK government's goal of building 1.5 million new homes by 2029. For families, that can mean months of waiting on approval for something as simple as a loft conversion, conservatory, or extension. Built with Gemini, PlanAssist is part of Google DeepMind’s broader partnership with the UK government to explore how AI can help transform planning and other public services.

PlanAssist 如何为执法人员提供支持How PlanAssist supports officers

常规住宅业主规划申请占规划审批人员工作量的比例最高可达70%。这类申请通常很容易获批，却占用了他们过多的时间。Routine householder applications account for up to 70% of planning officers’ workloads. They're often simple to approve but take up a disproportionate share of their time.

PlanAssist 由 Google DeepMind 与英国政府、Google Cloud 和 Faculty 合作开发，简化了这项工作，为规划官员处理申请和起草评估建议提供自动化支持。Developed by Google DeepMind in collaboration with the UK government, Google Cloud, and Faculty, PlanAssist streamlines this work, giving planning officers automated support with processing applications and drafting assessment recommendations.

首先，它会核验申请文件和建筑图纸，检查是否已提交所需信息，以便申请能够继续处理。接下来，它会根据遗产保护限制（例如树木保护令）以及地方和国家规划政策审查申请。它还会检查此前是否有人提出过问题或异议，例如当地居民。最后，它会起草附有完整引证的报告，供规划官员编辑，然后再作出最终决定。First, it validates application documents and architectural drawings, checking that the required information has been submitted so the application can proceed. Next, it checks the application against heritage constraints (such as tree preservation orders), and local and national planning policies. It also checks whether any issues or objections have previously been raised, such as by local residents. Finally, it drafts fully cited reports that can be edited by planning officers before they reach a final decision.

自6月以来，该工具已在巴尼特、卡姆登和多塞特地方议会试点使用，并取得了令人鼓舞的初步成效。除了将每份申请的工作人员评估时间缩短一半以上外，该工具生成的报告中，超过70%无需修改便获得了工作人员批准。报告内容包括申请是否符合当地规划规定、申请人是否提交了所有必需文件等。Since June, the tool has been piloted across Barnet, Camden, and Dorset councils, and has shown encouraging early results. In addition to more than halving the officer assessment time per application, more than 70% of the reports generated by the tool - including things like whether an application complies with local planning rules, or whether the applicant has submitted all required documentation - were approved by officers with no edits required.

从试点迈向规模化展开放大展规模化部署Moving from pilot to scale

PlanAssist 现已进入为期 12 个月的 Beta 阶段，将使用真实申请开展测试，首批参与的是部分地方议会。另有 12 个地方议会将分三批加入，使参与总数达到 15 个。这些地方议会覆盖全国各地的都市区和乡村地区，让我们能够在多元化的社区中测试 PlanAssist 的各项能力。PlanAssist is now moving into a 12-month Beta phase using live applications, starting with a subset of councils. Twelve more councils will be onboarded in three cohorts, bringing the total involved to 15. Together, these councils include metropolitan and rural districts across the country, allowing us to test PlanAssist’s capabilities across a diverse range of communities.

在测试成功的前提下，政府计划于2027年向英格兰所有地方议会提供该工具，并确保每项评估在作出任何决定之前都由具备资质的规划官员审查并批准。Subject to successful testing, the government plans for the tool to be made available to all councils in England in 2027, with every assessment reviewed and approved by a qualified planning officer before any decision is made.

服务社区的人工智能AI in service of communities

规划决策影响着人们的日常生活，从家庭添置婴儿房到房主为过冬做准备。PlanAssist 通过处理耗时的行政事务，同时确保每项决策仍由规划官员最终拍板，展示了人工智能如何帮助减少积压、加快申请审批。Planning decisions shape everyday lives, from a family adding a nursery to a homeowner preparing for winter. By handling time-consuming administrative tasks, and ensuring planning officers retain the final say on every decision, PlanAssist shows how AI can help cut backlogs and approve applications faster.

向这些新委员会提供资源是顺理成章的下一步。我们期待继续支持英国政府，助力其在全国各地建造更多住房并释放经济增长潜力。Providing access to these new councils is the natural next step, and we look forward to continuing to support the UK government as they seek to build more homes and unlock economic growth across the country.