The Future Fox
AI consultation analysis: Regulation 19 - Winchester City Council Local Plan
AI consultation analysis: Regulation 19 - Winchester City Council Local Plan
Details:
- Company: The Future Fox
- Client: Winchester City Council
- Year: 2024
- Region: England
- Product: ConsultAI
Service areas:
- Artificial intelligence (AI) and software solutions
- Organisational digital transformation
Introduction
Winchester City Council’s new Local Plan aims to address local housing needs, economic growth, environmental considerations, and strategic infrastructure, while also supporting the council’s goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2030.
Challenges
As part of the Regulation 19 stage, the council faced not only the challenge of analysing and summarising nearly 5,000 comments across over 140 policies but of getting the responses into the required format for the Planning Inspectorate. The responses were gathered via their digital engagement platform, emails and a handful of handwritten letters. Following the consultation, the council needed to quickly collate all representations and prepare two key outputs:
– Summaries of responses for the Regulation 22 Statement.
– A searchable database of all representations.
The timetable was critical as the Plan needed to be submitted prior to changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), which could have caused major delays or even reworking the whole plan.
This was to be the first full-scale deployment of the ConsultAI service at Regulation 19 – making this both a landmark project and a proof point.
– Summaries of responses for the Regulation 22 Statement.
– A searchable database of all representations.
The timetable was critical as the Plan needed to be submitted prior to changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), which could have caused major delays or even reworking the whole plan.
This was to be the first full-scale deployment of the ConsultAI service at Regulation 19 – making this both a landmark project and a proof point.
Solutions
Where most AI tools assist officers with discrete tasks like tagging or summarising individual responses, ConsultAI automates the full analysis pipeline end-to-end – from raw data through to structured, submission-ready reports. ConsultAI created:
– 144 structured reports forming the basis of Part 2 of the council’s Regulation 22 Statement. Each report delivered a clear overview of the key themes and positions taken by respondents, a detailed thematic breakdown of the issues raised, and traceability back to individual representations with an underlying dataset.
– A searchable database of representations, with consistent numbering as required by the Local Plan Guidance for Programme Officers, that was quickly published online.
– 144 structured reports forming the basis of Part 2 of the council’s Regulation 22 Statement. Each report delivered a clear overview of the key themes and positions taken by respondents, a detailed thematic breakdown of the issues raised, and traceability back to individual representations with an underlying dataset.
– A searchable database of representations, with consistent numbering as required by the Local Plan Guidance for Programme Officers, that was quickly published online.
Results
From consultation to submission in four weeks:
Under normal circumstances, this work would have consumed months of officer time. With ConsultAI, the data was prepared and reports were created in a week. Officers then reviewed the reports and finalised their Reg 22 report in a further three weeks. The total end-to-end process was compressed to just four weeks, enabling the team to move directly to submission.
The council noted that the tight timelines for the analysis would have proven impossible without the assistance of The Future Fox.
Submitted, inspected and found Sound:
Well ahead of the NPPF changes, Winchester’s Local Plan was submitted to the Planning Inspectorate with ConsultAI reports forming part of the evidence base. The Plan was subsequently found sound, with adoption by April 2026. Winchester is the first council in the country where AI-analysed consultation outputs have been tested and accepted under the formal examination process.
Under normal circumstances, this work would have consumed months of officer time. With ConsultAI, the data was prepared and reports were created in a week. Officers then reviewed the reports and finalised their Reg 22 report in a further three weeks. The total end-to-end process was compressed to just four weeks, enabling the team to move directly to submission.
The council noted that the tight timelines for the analysis would have proven impossible without the assistance of The Future Fox.
Submitted, inspected and found Sound:
Well ahead of the NPPF changes, Winchester’s Local Plan was submitted to the Planning Inspectorate with ConsultAI reports forming part of the evidence base. The Plan was subsequently found sound, with adoption by April 2026. Winchester is the first council in the country where AI-analysed consultation outputs have been tested and accepted under the formal examination process.
“The team found this process extremely helpful in meeting an extremely demanding timescale for the project…overall this was a very positive experience for the team.”
Adrian Fox
Principal Planning Officer, Winchester City Council
