The English authority has endured significant damage due to heavy downpours in recent years.
According to a spokesperson from the council, artificial intelligence will be used to identify issues with planning judgements faster, flagging potential flood risks associated with new developments and redevelopments. However, it has been stressed that ‘every decision will continue to be overseen by human experts’.
Work will also asses whether AI could be used to write planning applications, again expediting the process at a time when pressure is mounting on authorities to sign off on residential developments to support Downing Street’s housing goals.
‘Assessments are vital for protecting communities, [but] they can be complex and time-consuming to produce and review,’ said Nick Watson, flood and coastal erosion risk management manager at Northumberland County Council, who also explained consistency issues with data submitted for analysis and approval.
‘This will be a way to help overcome that, in that it’ll be able to extract key bits of documents,’ he continued. ‘We hope that it’ll be able to review what’s been submitted, check that against the massive amount of planning policy that’s out there and flag up issues.’
The trial will run until September, with findings expected to be published before the end of this year, at which point the system could be rolled out permanently, across more regions, or used as a framework for a more comprehensive AI-powered approach. Those tasked with submitting planning applications for projects within the authority should not notice any difference during the pilot.
Image: Maksim ŠiŠlo / Unsplash
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