Thursday 23 April 2026

The team at Parker Scanlon is constantly educating themselves on the latest developments in the Survey and Town Planning spheres. Recently, one of our Town Planning team members attended a thought-provoking webinar as part of the Planning Institute of Australia’s Legal Series on ‘Artificial Intelligence in Planning Evidence’. 

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly used in NSW town planning to assist with research, zoning analysis and report drafting. While AI can improve efficiency, its use in professional planning reports comes with clear legal and practical limits. 

When preparing any professional reports, planners must consider that they are not only for the Client or Council’s usage, but they may also be used as part of a legal proceedings in the courts, therefore court rules apply. 

There is no law in Australia banning AI in planning reports. However, the planner who prepares and submits the report remains fully accountable for accuracy, legislative interpretation and professional judgment. AI cannot replace statutory reasoning or expert opinion. 

NSW courts now require disclosure of generative AI use in expert reports. While most planning reports are not court evidence, this signals a broader expectation that professionals understand, control and disclose AI involvement where relevant. 

Planning decisions rely on context-specific analysis, weighing objectives, constraints and local policy intent. AI commonly produces generic or repetitive content and can misinterpret controls if left unchecked. Councils increasingly identify overreliance on AI as a cause of delays and requests for further information. 

Under Australian privacy law, client or site‑specific personal information should not be entered into public AI tools. Incorrect AI outputs can still constitute personal data breaches. Copyright law also remains human‑centric, fully AI‑generated content may offer little legal protection or ownership certainty.  

Used properly, AI can support low‑risk tasks like document search, formatting or language clarity. Legal responsibility, expert opinions, interpretation and final sign‑off must always remain with a qualified town planner. 

Understanding whether AI has been used in a report, and ensuring the accuracy of that work, is now an important consideration when selecting a preferred town planner for a project. This is why Parker Scanlon’s planning reports are prepared in accordance with the Planning Institute of Australia’s ethical guidelines.