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AI Copilot Tool

Get an instant AI-generated development assessment for any UK site — plain-English summary, Local Plan policy discussion, a traffic-light score and live chat.

Try the AI Co-Pilot See the Land Insights Pane

What the AI Co-Pilot Does

Click any site on the map and get an instant, AI-generated development assessment — a plain-English summary, the relevant Local Plan policies, a green/amber/red traffic-light score, and a live chat to ask anything about that site's planning potential.

Instant Site Assessment

One click generates a concise site summary covering location and headline planning position, written in plain English so you don't need a planning background to understand the outlook.

Local Plan Policy Discussion

The Co-Pilot searches the web for the current adopted Local Plan for the site's local planning authority, naming it where possible, and discusses settlement boundaries, Green Belt policy, housing allocations, density and design guidance that could bear on the site.

Green / Amber / Red Traffic-Light Score

Every assessment ends with an overall development-potential rating: green for favourable sites with few material constraints, amber where constraints or uncertainty warrant caution and professional advice, or red where significant constraints mean a high risk of refusal.

Concrete Next Steps

Alongside the score, the Co-Pilot lists 2-4 practical next actions — such as ordering a specific search, contacting the local planning authority, or commissioning a survey — so you always know what to do next.

Ask About This Site — Live Chat

Beyond the automated assessment, a free-form chat lets you ask follow-up questions — "Could this support a 5-unit residential scheme?" or "What's the flood risk exposure here?" — with answers grounded in the site's full data and live web search.

Grounded in the Full Site Picture, Not Guesswork

Every answer the AI Co-Pilot gives is built from the exact data already gathered in the Land Insights pane for that point — nothing is invented. That grounding brief includes:

  • Location — address, postcode, what3words, grid reference, local authority, parish, ward and constituency
  • Planning constraints — which designations apply (Green Belt, flood zones, conservation areas and more) and which do not
  • Buildings and active layers — building counts within a drawn site and every data layer switched on at that location
  • Nearby planning applications — live results from planit.org.uk with reference, status and description
  • Comparable sales — average Land Registry sold prices for the postcode over the last 12 months
  • Transport links — nearest stations and bus stops with distances
  • Land Registry — title number, area, perimeter and company or overseas ownership records where available

How to Use the AI Planning Co-Pilot

  1. Open the map on Maplify.
  2. Search or navigate to the site you want assessed.
  3. Click the point or drawn shape to load it into the Land Insights pane.
  4. Open the AI Co-Pilot tab and select "Generate Assessment".
  5. Review the site summary, Local Plan discussion, traffic-light score and next steps.
  6. Use the chat to ask follow-up questions about the site's planning potential.

Worked Example

A developer is deciding whether to pursue a small infill site:

  • The Co-Pilot flags the site as partly within Flood Zone 2 but outside the Green Belt, and outside any conservation area.
  • It references the local authority's adopted Local Plan housing allocation policy and notes two recently granted extensions nearby as a positive precedent.
  • The traffic-light score comes back amber, with next steps recommending a flood risk assessment and a pre-application enquiry — the chat is then used to ask whether a 3-unit scheme is realistic given the site area.

What Powers the AI Co-Pilot

Site dataEvery field already gathered in the Land Insights pane — location, constraints, buildings, active layers, nearby applications, comparable sales, transport and Land Registry data.
Local Plan researchLive web search used to locate and reference the current adopted Local Plan for the relevant local planning authority.
AI modelA large language model combines the site data and web search results to produce the summary, policy discussion, traffic-light score, next steps and chat answers.
RefreshEach assessment is generated fresh, on demand, from the current data showing for the site at the time you click "Generate Assessment".

Important Limitations

  • The AI Co-Pilot is a screening tool, not a planning opinion — it does not replace advice from a qualified planning consultant.
  • Local Plan references are drawn from live web search and should be independently verified against the local planning authority's published policy documents.
  • The traffic-light score reflects detected constraints and available application history; it cannot account for site-specific factors like access, ground conditions or design quality.
  • Answers in the chat are generated from the available site data and general planning knowledge — always confirm critical details with the local planning authority before making decisions.

The Co-Pilot draws on data from the Land Insights Pane, the Planning Application Finder, the Planning Constraints Map and Site Reports — explore them directly for more detail.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the AI Planning Co-Pilot?

It is an AI assistant built into the Maplify map that reads everything known about a clicked site — location, planning constraints, buildings, nearby planning applications, comparable sales, transport and Land Registry data — and turns it into a plain-English development assessment, complete with a traffic-light score and follow-up chat.

How does the traffic-light score work?

Every assessment ends with a green, amber or red rating. Green means few or no material constraints and a favourable outlook; amber means some constraints or uncertainty exist and professional advice is recommended; red flags significant constraints with a high risk of refusal.

Does it know the Local Plan for my area?

Yes. The Co-Pilot searches the web for the current adopted Local Plan for the site's local planning authority and discusses relevant policies — settlement boundaries, Green Belt, housing allocations, density and design — alongside the detected constraints.

Can I ask follow-up questions about a site?

Yes. The "Ask About This Site" chat lets you ask anything about the site's planning potential, policy context or constraints — for example "Could this support a 5-unit residential scheme?" — and the Co-Pilot answers using the full site data and live web search.

What data does the AI use to form its assessment?

It is grounded in the exact data shown in the Land Insights pane for that point: address and location details, which planning constraints apply, active data layers, nearby planning applications, comparable sold prices, transport links, and Land Registry title and ownership information.

Does the AI Co-Pilot replace a planning consultant?

No. It is a fast, first-pass screening tool to help you triage sites and frame the right questions. Formal planning advice, a full policy review and pre-application discussions with the local authority are still recommended before committing to a scheme.

Is the AI Co-Pilot accurate?

The assessment is generated from the constraint and application data available on the map plus current web search, and clearly flags where information is uncertain rather than inventing specifics — but it should be treated as a screening aid, not a definitive planning opinion.

Is the AI Co-Pilot free to use?

The Co-Pilot is available directly in the map for Maplify users; check your account plan for any limits on the number of assessments or questions.