Google DeepMind, working with the UK government, Google Cloud and the consultancy Faculty, has developed PlanAssist, a Gemini-built AI tool that takes over routine checks on householder planning applications. The tool confirms that submitted documents and architectural drawings are complete, screens applications against heritage constraints such as tree preservation orders and against local and national planning policy, looks for objections previously raised by residents, and drafts fully cited assessment reports that officers can edit before deciding. In pilot testing across the Barnet, Camden and Dorset councils since June, PlanAssist reduced the average time a planning officer spent on householder assessments by 58%. More than 70% of the reports it generated were approved by officers with no edits. Routine householder applications can make up as much as 70% of officers' workloads. The tool now moves into a 12-month beta using live applications, with 12 more councils onboarded in three cohorts, bringing the total to 15. If testing succeeds, the government plans to make PlanAssist available to all councils in England in 2027, with a qualified planning officer approving every assessment before a decision is made. The figures so far come from early pilot results reported by the partners, not from independent evaluation. For Australian businesses and professionals, PlanAssist changes nothing directly, because it is built for England's planning system and no Australian council deployment has been announced. Builders, designers and town planning consultants should treat it as a signal of where local government may head, not as a tool to adopt now. Any council or firm that handles applicant personal information with similar AI tools would still need to meet the Privacy Act 1988 and check how the vendor stores and uses that data. There is no cost or compliance change to act on today.