A New Era of AI in the UK

As the government places planning and PropTech at the heart of its AI agenda, PlanningHub is proud to spotlight three exceptional Geovation-backed ventures led by visionary female founders. These startups are revolutionising the planning sector with AI-driven solutions, addressing outdated processes, sustainability challenges, and housing shortages. Together with planning and PropTech stakeholders and Geovation’s support, we can drive meaningful change and foster a climate-resilient future.

“Artificial intelligence will deliver a decade of national renewal.”

That’s the promise UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer made on January 13, 2025, as part of an AI Action Plan launched by the Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology.

With £14 billion in investment and 13,250 new jobs forecast, AI is set to drive growth, improve living standards, and streamline public services. The plan highlights a key goal: reducing time spent on administrative tasks so that professionals can focus on delivering value, especially across public sector.

For the housing and planning sectors—plagued by outdated processes, sustainability challenges, and housing shortages—this shift couldn’t come at a better time, and Geovation is at the forefront of supporting this transformation.

Geovation: 15 Years of Driving Innovation

For over 15 years, Ordnance Survey-backed Geovation has been a launchpad for cutting-edge geospatial and PropTech innovation. Through funding, incubation, acceleration, coaching, and access to critical data, we’ve helped more than 100 startups turn bold ideas into reality—while supporting thousands more through our extensive network.

As the government places planning and PropTech at the heart of its agenda, we’re proud to spotlight three exceptional Geovation-backed ventures transforming the planning sector. These mission-driven startups—led by visionary female founders—are tackling some of the biggest challenges in planning, bringing AI-driven solutions to modernise the field.

Why Innovation in Planning Matters

Planning is the gateway to development, shaping the cities we live in and driving growth in the economy. Yet, public-sector planning teams struggle to harness digital innovation. According to the 2023 Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG) survey 51 per cent of public planning teams lack digital skills in technology, software, and data.

The Royal Town Planning Institute’s (RTPI) “State of the Profession” report (2023) echoes these concerns, highlighting declining numbers of public-sector planners  – 19 per cent of Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) report more than 21 staff vacancies and 21 per cent report 11–20 vacancies, reflecting a sector-wide resourcing crisis. Without intervention, these challenges will continue to delay much-needed development.

That’s why we’ve backed three groundbreaking companies making planning faster, smarter, and more accessible through digital innovation and geospatial and property data.

Three AI-Driven Initiatives Transforming Planning

1. PlanningHub – AI-Powered Planning Insights for Property Development

PlanningHub is shaking up the planning sector with AI-driven automation, replacing hours of manual data gathering with instant, site-specific planning insights.

Founded by Ewa Moskwiak, an entrepreneur and RIBA Chartered Architect, and Professor Harald Braun, an AI pioneer with over 30 years of experience, PlanningHub is bringing a first-of-its-kind scalable technology to planning.

Their solution cuts planning research time from hours to seconds—a game-changer for Local Planning Authorities, planners, developers, and investors. Having secured two prestigious UKRI grants and venture capital funding, PlanningHub is rolling out pilots that redefine how planning data is accessed.

2. Digital Planning Directory – The Ultimate Guide to Planning Tech

Founded by the Digital Task Force for Planning, the Digital Planning Directory is the first-of-its-kind online resource cataloguing the best digital planning tools.

Led by Dr. Wei Yang OBE, this social enterprise is bridging the gap between the technology and the planning sector. Their mission? Build partnerships with stakeholders to drive inclusive and practical digital solutions for planning challenges, serve as a convenor, facilitator, and enabler to drive the digitalisation of mainstream planning practice and education for spatial planning innovation. Dr. Wei Yang was awarded an OBE in 2024—a testament to the impact of her work.

3. ConsultAI by Future Fox – AI-Powered Public Consultation Analysis

Public consultations are a crucial yet time-consuming part of the planning process, often taking thousands of hours to analyse feedback. Future Fox, led by Annette Jezierska, has built ConsultAI—a tool designed in collaboration with local authorities to automate and streamline consultation analysis.

ConsultAI Transforms vast public feedback into clear, accurate reports, reduces manual processing from weeks to hours and eliminates human error and bias while maintaining full transparency.

What’s Next?

So, where do we go from here?

“At PlanningHub, we believe in the power of marginal gains—the idea that small, consistent improvements can lead to massive transformation. AI and digital tools have the potential to eliminate repetitive, time-consuming tasks in planning, making processes more efficient, informed, and accessible’’ says Ewa Moskwiak, PlanningHub CEO. “We’re incredibly grateful for Geovation’s support. Accelerators like this bridge the gap between early-stage innovation and real-world impact. Through Geovation, we’ve connected with forward-thinkers like Dr. Wei Yang and Annette Jezierska, who are driving real change in the sector.”