Several Australian councils, including Burwood, Blacktown, Inner West, Bayside, Randwick, Canterbury Bankstown, Cumberland, and Hawkesbury, are trialling the use of AI to streamline the development approval process.

This initiative, supported by the state government, aims to expedite housing delivery by automating the assessment of simpler applications, such as new homes, renovations, or duplexes.

The AI system, trained on each council’s planning regulations, will quickly identify applications that comply with existing rules, reducing the time planners spend reviewing them.

While the system will assist in the initial assessment, a council planner will still review the project after the public feedback stage.

NSW Housing Minister Paul Scully emphasises that AI is intended to support, not replace, town planners.