Turn your own project facts into a plain-English statement and a question list for your planning agent or the council

Farmers Weekly's planners say the common mistakes are thin supporting material and that planning advisers usually know what a particular council expects to see, and a Carter Jonas surveyor says to put a straightforward, non-technical summary of access, drainage and utilities beside the full application. Many farmers have the facts but not the habit of writing them in the order a planning officer reads them. AI can turn your own typed facts into a clear project statement and a list of questions for a pre-application meeting. It cannot tell you whether you need permission, whether a permitted development right applies or whether the council will say yes: the council's planning office or your planning agent decides, and a statement you send must be checked by them.

A free AI chat tool, then your own email or messaging app

Steps

1. Ask the council's planning office (or your planning agent) first whether the idea needs planning permission, a notification or prior approval, or none. Farmers Weekly says many councils offer a pre-application advice service, with fees that vary. Do not use AI for this question.
2. Write down the facts in plain words: what the building or land was last used for and when, its floor area as measured, the use you want, opening days and hours, how many visitors or guests at once, how they arrive, where they park, how water, drainage, electricity and waste are handled, and any trees, ponds or old buildings nearby.
3. Write down the questions you want the planner to answer: for example which surveys (ecology, traffic, structural) the council will expect, whether the use is secondary to the farm, and what the local plan says.
4. Paste the facts and questions into the prompt. Do not paste neighbours' names, personal details or any owner's finances. Ask for a one-page project statement and a pre-application question list.
5. Check every fact in the statement against your own measurements and records, and delete any sentence that says the scheme meets a policy, causes no harm or is permitted. Send the draft to your agent or planning officer and let them edit it.
6. Keep the dated versions you sent and the answers you got, and ask whether surveys that depend on the season (such as protected-species surveys) must be done before you apply.

The exact prompt

I run a farm in the UK and I am planning [what you plan: for example a farm shop in a former barn, a holiday let in a workshop, a camping field, or an events space]. Using ONLY my facts below, draft a plain-English project statement for my planning agent or the council's planning officer to read, and a list of questions for a pre-application discussion.
You must NOT say whether planning permission, prior approval or notification is needed, whether any permitted development right applies, whether the scheme meets any planning policy, whether it will cause harm or no harm to the landscape, wildlife, traffic or neighbours, or whether the council is likely to approve it. Do not give planning advice. Use ONLY the facts I give; put [TO BE CONFIRMED] where I have not given a fact. Do not use any names.
Which nation the farm is in (England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland) and the council area: [text].
What the building or land was used for and since when, and its measured size: [text].
The proposed use, days and hours, numbers of visitors or guests, and how it fits with the farm: [text].
Access, parking, water, drainage, electricity and waste: [text].
Nearby features I know of (trees, ponds, old buildings, neighbours' homes by distance only): [text].
My questions for the planner: [text].
Produce: (1) a one-page plain-English project statement with headings: what is proposed, the site and its history, how it will work day to day, access and services, and how it relates to the farm; (2) a list of the surveys or documents I have been told or think I may need, marked 'to confirm with the planner'; (3) a pre-application question list; (4) a list of every [TO BE CONFIRMED] and any sentence that sounds like a planning conclusion, for my agent to check.