NSW govt to trial AI to speed up local planning systems

As part of the NSW government’s $5.6 million investment to introduce artificial intelligence into the planning system, 16 councils will trial technologies to speed up development assessment timeframes.

The grant funding forms part of the NSW Government’s wider AI in NSW Planning package. The AI project seeks to identify how the planning system can benefit from AI implementation.

The councils involved are:

• Bayside Council
• Blacktown City Council
• Burwood Council
• Cessnock City Council
• City of Canterbury Bankstown
• City of Newcastle (with co-applicants: Central Coast Council and Muswellbrook Shire Council)
• Cumberland City Council
• Eurobodalla Shire Council, Hawkesbury City Council
• Inner West Council, Lake Macquarie City Council
• Randwick City Council
• Wagga Wagga City Council
• Wingecarribee Shire Council

The councils originally applied for grants under the State’s Early Adopter Grant Program to trial technologies that will improve the quality and accuracy of information when a development application is lodged.

As part of the next phase, the project will examine technologies that can work with the NSW Planning Portal to make artificial intelligence’s benefits available to all applicants.

“Using technology to assist in the assessment of development applications is a critical way the government can support councils to speed up development assessment times to better address the housing crisis,” said Minister for planning and public spaces Paul Scully.

“Introducing AI into the planning system reduces planners’ administrative workload so they can get on with their main job of planning. It also helps applicants by reducing delays and ensuring all the required information is provided without repeated requests. This will free up their time and help build more homes faster.”

Minister for local government Ron Hoenig said councils are responsible for determining approximately 85 per cent of all new dwellings in NSW.

“I believe that utilising AI will accelerate the planning process and help councils get on with delivering for their communities,” he said.

The assessment process is often strained by administrative delays, duplications and mistakes, or site-specific requirements that must be met before a development application is submitted.

“These issues could be identified and resolved before a development application arrives on a planner’s desk, leaving our skilled planners to approve homes more efficiently,” he said.

“Improving the quality of the original application reduces the number of requests for more information, saving significant time.”

For example, of nearly 500 applications accepted into the Regional Housing Flying Squad Program in the past year, additional information was required for around 30 per cent of development proposals, with applicants taking, on average, an additional 42 days to respond with the information.

The combined saving of not having to request additional information on this relatively small group alone would be around 6300 days – or the equivalent of 17 years. If that is applied across the nearly 60,000 applications that are submitted in NSW each year, it means a saving of hundreds of thousands of days, said Scully.