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A neighbourhood plan for less than £5,000?

  • Louise Stubbs
  • Aug 25
  • 3 min read

Yes, you can!



Those with eagle eyes might have spotted a soft launch of ONH's AI assistants through GovAssist earlier this year. The current versions launched at an event in Milton Keynes in July 2026 and work - though it seems immodest to say it - quite brilliantly at doing what they do.


The philosophy behind ONH creating AI Planning assistants is simple:

  • As AI developed we were seeing more and more parish councils use it to support them with planning. Clerks and Councillors are busy people, planning documents are often hundreds of pages long and AI was seen as an incredible helpful tool to save them time and money.

  • When we tested online large language models like ChatGPT and Claude they persistently got some things about planning at the town and parish council level wrong, we knew that Councils using them to respond to local plans and planning documents wouldn't be getting the best, most accurate responses.

  • PINS guidance in relation to using AI at planning appeals is strict - AI use IS allowed, but users are expected to be open and careful - with costs sometimes awarded against parties who used AI for their representations at appeal to create spurious reasons to object to development.

  • The problem with the online models was that they were too big and expansive - by trying to be an expert in everything they missed the detail that only comes from decades of experience in an area.


The potential benefits for town and parishes were clear - but so were the risks and pitfalls. Rather than rage against the AI machine, we decided to see if we could create an AI that would help, rather than hinder, councils - giving them clear, focused advice on the topics that are most relevant to them. Each assistant would have a specific focus, and would not be released until we were happy with the quality of advice produced by each one.


Next came three planning focused AI Assistants through GovAssist


With the support of CloudyIT, who run GovAssist, the AI built specifically for town and parish councils, we built three assistants. All of them are available to try for free through GovAssist!




ONH Neighbourhood Planner logo with black tree and city skyline icons above a purple banner.

ONH Neighbourhood Planner exists to support you to write and evidence your own neighbourhood plan — with professional rigour built in.


ONH Neighbourhood Planner is an AI tool built for Neighbourhood Planning groups who want to lead on their own plan. You can chat to it in plain english and it will guide you through writing and evidencing your policies, drawing only on the latest planning legislation and guidance and on ONH's own expert advice notes. Because it runs as a closed system rather than trawling the internet, the advice you receive is accurate, current and grounded in good practice.


Essential companion: ONH Health Check


To ensure your drafted plan is legally compliant, we very strongly recommend you purchase the ONH Health Check alongside the Planner. Qualified Town Planners at ONH Planning for Good review your work at three critical milestones:

  • Draft Policy Ideas,

  • before Regulation 14 consultation, and

  • at Regulation 15 once submission documents are complete.


How much?


Priced at £950 for the AI and £3,950 + VAT for the Health Check, your group can deliver a robust, professionally credible neighbourhood plan for under £5,000.


What about allocating sites?


For neighbourhood planning groups we also want to allocate sites, we recommend that this process is completed outside of AI, and a quote should be requested from ONH.



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