Northumberland County Council is pioneering the use of AI in flood risk assessments, particularly to help speed up new home builds. The Country Council was awarded £725,912 from the regulator’s Pioneer Fund (2025) to carry out the nine-month work.
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and the Regulatory and Innovation Office (RIO) say the company is one of 14 local authorities and other regulators across the country to receive up to £1 million each for projects that help create a UK regulatory environment that fosters innovation and growth.
local government blueprint
Northumberland County Council is testing a flood risk assessment AI governance framework. This is an effort to explore how AI can support faster and better planning decisions related to flood risk on a national scale. This project has two parts.
“First,” RIO said, “we will be piloting an AI-assisted process that will allow staff to review Flood Risk Assessments (FRA) more quickly and consistently. AI will prioritize applications received, allowing staff to focus on the most complex issues, and ensuring all documents receive expert human quality assurance.”
“Second, we will consider new approaches to help developers create high-quality, compliant FRAs from the start and improve the quality of their applications at source. To keep pace with rapid advances in this field, we will develop a reusable framework for how regulators like us can safely and effectively use AI. Over a nine-month pilot period, we will co-design these new processes and test them in real-world cases. We will publish our findings, including a framework for governance and human-expert collaboration.”
“This project will provide a blueprint for local authorities across the UK to implement responsible AI, resulting in significantly faster planning timelines, supporting local growth, accelerating the delivery of hundreds of thousands of new homes and enhancing public safety.”
Signature Network Friends
The need for grassroots journalism that investigates the stories that really matter, holds people accountable and champions the voices of everyday citizens has never been greater. We are proudly supported by volunteers, but what we do is not free.
Join us for independent, citizen-driven journalism that strengthens democracy. Plus, you’ll also get special benefits.
