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Introduction

Compiling project-specific planning information for tasks like validation, pre-planning advice, or processing applications is a major resource challenge for Local Planning Authorities (LPAs). These tasks are time-intensive, labour-heavy, and strain already stretched teams. Checking Article 4 restrictions, site history, covenants, and past planning decisions manually only adds to this burden.

Recognising the need for innovation, Enfield Council partnered with PlanningHub to pilot an AI-driven solution. The goal: to automate repetitive, time-consuming tasks, reduce workloads, and free planning officers to focus on complex, high-value decisions. This initiative represents Enfield’s forward-thinking approach to improving planning efficiency through technology.

Challenges

Gathering case-specific planning data can take up to a week of the 8-week planning process. On average, planning officers sift through at least three separate data sources to manually check for critical information. With around 90 domestic applications submitted weekly, the time spent on this is substantial.

Enfield Local Planning Authority is committed to improving efficiency but needed a solution that was intuitive, accurate, and user-friendly. Any new system had to be reliable without requiring specialist training. Accuracy was especially vital for sensitive projects—those in conservation areas, near protected trees, or subject to Article 4 restrictions or conditions removing Permitted Development Rights.

The council sought to streamline this labour-intensive process to reduce delays and ensure planners could focus on decision-making rather than repetitive administrative tasks. They needed a tool that could seamlessly integrate with their workflows while meeting the unique demands of their planning environment.

Solutions

PlanningHub’s AI pilot automates repetitive tasks, empowering officers with instant, reliable results. By reducing administrative burdens, it enables planners to prioritise complex, high-value work while improving overall efficiency.

The platform features a user-friendly interface requiring no technical expertise. Designed for ease of use, it minimises input, avoiding form fatigue by asking only project-specific questions. Available as a standalone app, the beta version supports over 80 domestic project types and integrates critical data such as Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs) and Article 4 directions.

It instantly answers planning queries, such as whether a project qualifies under Permitted Development Rights or requires a planning application. The tool simplifies pre-planning advice, automates manual checks, and ensures 100% accuracy based on provided datasets.

By eliminating unnecessary complexity, PlanningHub enhances efficiency, reduces administrative effort, and gives planners the tools to focus on decision-making rather than routine tasks.

Results

Although still in its pilot phase, PlanningHub’s platform has delivered outstanding initial results, including:
· 100% accuracy in site- and project-specific planning information.
· A reduction in information-gathering time from hours to 20–45 seconds.
· Improved efficiency by consolidating all necessary data in one place.

Key user feedback highlighted several benefits:
· Easily accessible, well-presented information saves significant time.
· Links to relevant planning applications and addresses make finding precedents straightforward.
· The tool prevents errors by summarising Permitted Development Rights removed by previous conditions.
· Referencing documents directly within the platform is a major advantage.

Users expressed interest in expanding the tool for validation stages and beyond. Minor refinements have also been incorporated, including organising precedents, improving outbuilding classifications, and enhancing address formatting.

PlanningHub’s AI pilot is transforming how planning information is accessed, offering planners a streamlined, intuitive solution for a demanding process.

Absolutely fantastic—easy to use with well-organised, accessible information. The interactive links and summary of previous conditions save a lot of time. Normally, officers need to access at least three data sources, which is time-consuming. This platform streamlines the process significantly.

Gideon Whittingham
Planning Decisions Manager, London Borough of Enfield Local Planning Authority

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