Meet Reggie: AI Planning Assistants built for town and parish councils

Changes to National Planning Policy and cuts to the Neighbourhood Plan Support Program have created a perfect storm of pressure for local council clerks and councillors. More planning applications, for larger developments, numerous consultations to respond to and decisions to be made about responding to local plans and creating neighbourhood plans. All of these combined planning pressures mean many councils are already looking to AI to make efficiencies.

In fact, improving the speed and efficiency of planning by using digital planning tools is something MHCLG is also encouraging, through investment in the Digital Planning Programme, Augmented Planning Decisions Project and PropTech Innovation Funding.

While most of MHCLGs programmes are aimed at Local Planning Authorities, ONH works mainly with town and parish councils, and knew our team of qualified chartered planners were perfectly suited to creating an AI Assistant that provided genuinely useful planning guidance for those working at the community level, while avoiding the pitfalls of using a general open source AI.

After a year of research, planning, building and testing ONH's three AI Assistants were born. ONH Planning Basics, ONH Planning Advanced and ONH Neighbourhood Planner. For short - we call them Reggie.

Meet Reggie and the ONH AI Planning Assistants

ONH Planning Basics: Free Support for Everyday Planning Questions

ONH Planning Basics is a free AI assistant designed to answer common planning questions that councillors and clerks encounter daily. It acts as a first point of contact for enquiries related to local planning rules, application procedures, and national policy guidance.

Key Features

• Instant answers to common queries: Users can ask about responding to planning applications, permitted development rights, national planning legislation, CIL, s106, neighbourhood and local plans and many more day-to-day queries.

• Accessible 24/7: Available anytime, reducing the need to wait for human support.

• Clear, jargon-free explanations: The assistant uses plain language to make planning rules easier to understand.

• Clearly cites official resources: Have confidence in the answers you receive, with clear citations to relevant government legislation, planning policy and ONH guidance used to generate each answer

  
  

Practical Use Cases

• A parish clerk receives a question from a councillor about the best way to engage with a developer that wants to build in the area. Using ONH Planning Basics, the clerk quickly finds the answer and responds with a number of approaches they could use.

• Councillors attending a planning committee discussion about neighbourhood planning can use the assistant to research the topic and prepare for the meeting.

• New councillors unfamiliar with planning terminology get up to speed by asking the assistant for definitions and explanations.

  
  

This tool reduces the workload on local government officers and members by handling routine enquiries efficiently, allowing them to focus on more complex planning matters.

ONH Planning Advanced: Planning Analysis

While ONH Planning Basics handles everyday questions, ONH Planning Advanced is designed to assist with more detailed and complex planning issues. It helps councillors and clerks analyse planning applications against their neighbourhood and local plan, review new and draft planning policy and prepare materials for public use.

Key Features

• Detailed application analysis: The assistant can review planning application documents, highlight key points and compare them to local and national planning policy.

• Risk identification: Flags potential issues for further investigation such as environmental concerns or heritage impacts.

• Public document drafting support: Helps generate clear, structured reports for committees, newsletter articles, and draft replies to public concerns about planning.

• Detailed planning guidance: Gives in-depth answers to your planning queries including legislation, national issues and advice about the most effective ways to engage with the planning process.

• Future actions: Offers suggestions for next steps alongside clear guidance about when to seek specialist support from a planning consultant for the most complex areas of planning.

  
  

Practical Use Cases

• A town council is reviewing a large housing development proposal. The clerk summarises the application, identifies policy conflicts, and suggests points for discussion.

• Clerks use the assistant to create a newsletter article that explain the council’s position on planning applications for shopfront signage in the conservation area, ensuring local businesses can design signage that will fit the requirements.

• Councillors preparing for public consultation on a new draft NPPF can use the assistant to ask detailed questions about the technical details and potential impacts if it were implemented.

  
  

By providing in-depth analysis and report support, ONH Planning Advisor helps local government officials make informed, transparent decisions.

ONH Neighbourhood Planner: Your trusted guide to plan-making

A well written Neighbourhood Plan can be the most effective tool a local council has to influence development in their area. With the loss of the support programme, many councils have wondered how to fund neighbourhood plan work - Neighbourhood Planner is designed to bridge that gap, helping your Steering Group with their day-to-day queries, guiding you through processes that communities can lead themselves and giving clear guidance about when to seek specialist support.

Key Features

• Detailed legislation analysis: The assistant can review neighbourhood planning legislation, advice notes and give guidance about all areas of neighbourhood planning from getting started to referendum.

• Evidence gathering: Flags areas where additional evidence is required to justify a policy and gives clear guidance about approaches to secure this.

• Community engagement advice: Generates consultation surveys, social media and newsletter articles and draft replies to public questions about the process based on the project vision.

• Future actions: Offers suggestions for next steps alongside clear guidance about when to seek specialist support from a planning consultant for support with the most complex areas of neighbourhood planning.

  
  

Practical Use Cases

• A parish council uses the Neighbourhood Planner to create easy-to-read explanations of the process to explain the process to the community.

• The clerk can use the assistant to ask questions about project milestones, regulatory requirements, timetables and resources, allowing them to create an informed project plan and realistic schedule.

• Members and officers working to create an evidence base for designating Local Green Spaces can ask questions about the process, receiving step-by-step instructions on every stage from identifying potential sites, the legal requirements for designation, templates for evidence gathering, and even write a draft policy ready for review by a neighbourhood planning consultant.

  
  

This assistant gives practical support to Neighbourhood Planners working alongside Steering Groups and Consultants allowing them to make the most efficient and practical use of their resources, easing unnecessary stress and giving them confidence that they can successfully complete their neighbourhood project plan.

How These AI Assistants Work Together

Each ONH AI planning assistant serves a distinct role but complements the others, alongside working with Local Planning Authority Planners and Planning Consultants to provide comprehensive support to town and parish councils:

• Planning Basics handles routine enquiries and quick answers.

• Planning Advanced supports detailed analysis of legislation and review of proposed plans

• Neighbourhood Planner guides Neighbourhood Planning groups with clear explanations, options to take and templates to use through the entire process, from start to finish.

  
  

Together, they create a streamlined workflow for councillors and clerks, reducing administrative burdens and improving service quality.

Find ONH AI Planning Assistants on GovAssist

Interested in trying ONH's AI Planning Assistants? Sign up on GovAssist, the AI built for town and parish councils. Signing up is free and easy, and will give you access to download ONH Planning Basics, to experience a sample of the advantages of the more complex answer and functionality available from Planning Advanced and Neighbourhood Planner without the upfront costs.