What PGAT Is and Is Not
PGAT (Planning Governance Assessment Tool) is a governance and decision-law analysis framework for planning decisions. It can be used by non-professionals, but it is designed to a professional standard.
What PGAT is
PGAT is a structured method for evaluating whether a planning decision process is properly supported and recorded. It focuses on how evidence is handled, how decision-critical issues are addressed at the point of determination, and whether the reasoning is robust enough to withstand scrutiny.
PGAT is outcome-neutral. It does not “take sides” on development. It assesses process quality: evidence, governance, and decision-law compliance.
Who PGAT is for
- Professionals (planning consultants, solicitors, developers, officers) who need a disciplined governance lens.
- Serious non-professionals who are willing to learn decision concepts and apply restraint.
- Teams who need a repeatable, consistent way to review decision documents and committee reporting quality.
Access and restrictions
PGAT is readable by anyone, but not all content is open by default. Some reference material, analytical guidance, and methodology notes are available only to registered users. This helps preserve signal quality and ensures that decision-law concepts are used with the appropriate context.
Access is structured. The platform is designed for responsible use and does not provide step-by-step escalation instructions or contact targeting.
What PGAT is not
- Not a planning merits opinion engine. PGAT does not decide whether a scheme is “good” or “bad”.
- Not an objection generator. PGAT does not exist to produce volume commentary or campaign content.
- Not a representation service. PGAT does not act on behalf of users or handle individual cases as a default service.
- Not a pressure or coordination tool. PGAT does not direct engagement at named individuals or public officers.
- Not a substitute for professional judgment. Users remain responsible for proportionality and lawful conduct.
What PGAT does
PGAT produces structured, governance-led analysis designed to be calm, evidence-based, and suitable for professional review. Its core value is identifying where a decision becomes exposed due to procedural weakness or decision-critical gaps.
1) Separates evidence from decision evidence
PGAT distinguishes between evidence that exists somewhere in the file and evidence that is actually carried into the decision (summarised, presented, and relied upon). This prevents “paper compliance” from being mistaken for decision integrity.
2) Identifies decision-critical issues
PGAT flags issues that must be resolved (or lawfully addressed) at the stage being determined. It helps detect when “we’ll deal with it later” becomes an unlawful or unsafe deferral.
3) Tests policy engagement quality
PGAT examines whether policy is meaningfully engaged with (operative requirements, thresholds, tests), rather than merely referenced. Token or superficial policy mention is treated as a governance weakness where policy is decision-critical.
4) Flags evidential integrity problems
PGAT detects common evidence failures such as unreadable/stubbed documents, missing assessments, or reliance on assumptions where the decision requires demonstrated support.
5) Assesses reasoning, recording, and defensibility
PGAT reviews whether the recorded reasoning is coherent, anchored in material considerations, and consistent with lawful decision-making expectations. It highlights indicators of decision exposure.
6) Encourages restraint and disciplined use
PGAT is designed to reduce noise, not amplify it. In many cases, the correct outcome is improved understanding or inaction. The platform prioritises precision, proportionality, and governance clarity.
Platform Architecture
PGAT is implemented as a Python-based analytical system designed for document-heavy, evidence-led governance review.
Why Python
PGAT is built in Python because of its strengths in structured text analysis, document processing, and deterministic rule evaluation. Planning decisions rely heavily on large, complex document sets, and Python provides mature, well-supported tooling for handling those inputs reliably.
The choice of Python reflects a design priority for clarity, repeatability, and analytical control rather than automation of outcomes.
Core technical characteristics
- Document-focused processing: PGAT is designed to work with planning documents such as committee reports, consultee responses, assessments, and notices.
- Deterministic analysis: Findings are produced by explicit analytical rules rather than probabilistic decision-making.
- Separation of analysis and presentation: The analytical engine operates independently of any user interface.
- Evidence integrity awareness: The system is able to detect limitations in source material, such as unreadable or incomplete documents, and treat these as governance risks rather than assumptions.
Technology components (high level)
PGAT uses a small number of established Python libraries for document handling, structured text processing, and data management. These are selected for stability and transparency, not novelty.
- Structured data processing and validation modules
- Rule-based analysis components implementing PGAT’s governance logic
- Optional language-rendering components used only to present findings clearly
Use of automation and AI
PGAT does not automate decisions and does not generate conclusions independently of its analytical rules. Where automated language generation is used, it operates strictly downstream of deterministic findings and serves only to improve readability.
The analytical outcome is always defined by the governance rules applied to the source material, not by statistical inference.
Deployment and integration
PGAT can be deployed as a standalone analytical program or integrated into a web-based platform. Its architecture allows it to operate independently of any particular interface, making it suitable for professional, organisational, or hosted environments.
This separation ensures that analytical behaviour remains consistent regardless of how or where the results are viewed.