Loose Neighbourhood Development Plan
Pre-Submission Consultation (Regulation 14)
Introduction:
Loose Parish Council is delighted to announce that it is consulting on its draft Neighbourhood Plan and invites residents, local groups, businesses and stakeholders to comment.
The draft plan is an important document that sets out ambitions for the parish alongside a series of planning policies to guide how land is used locally over the period to 2038. The proposed policies would also be a material planning consideration in the determination of planning applications, together with the policies of the Maidstone Local Plan.
Background:
A Working Group comprising local councillors and volunteers from the community was set up to lead the Neighbourhood Plan project on behalf of the Parish Council. A great deal of work has been undertaken to reach the point of producing this draft Neighbourhood Plan which brings together the existing Loose and North Loose Neighbourhood Plans into one document, updating them where appropriate.
What's in the plan?
The draft plan includes a range of planning policies, covering areas such as the safeguarding of important areas of green space and valued viewpoints from inappropriate development, expectations of how development should be designed, preservation of the parish's built heritage and support for local shops and businesses.
The formal process:
The Neighbourhood Plan must undergo a rigorous process, including a series of consultations, an independent examination and finally a local referendum. This consultation is a statutory Pre-Submission Consultation in accordance with the requirements of the Localism Act 2011 and Regulation 14 of the Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012 (as amended).
The consultation will run from 10 September 2026 to 23 October 2026.
Where can you see the Plan?
The draft plan and associated documents can be viewed on this website, further down this page. Printed copies can be viewed at:
· Loose Parish Pavilion, King George V Playing Field, Walnut Tree Lane, Loose ME15 9RG: during Parish Council meetings and events.
· YMCA, Melrose Close, Maidstone ME15 6BD: Mon-Fri 06.30-22.00; Sat 08.00-18.00; Sun 08.00-16.00.
· Coxheath Library, Heath Road, Coxheath ME17 4EH: Mon, Thurs, Fri 09.00-17.00 (closed 12.00-13.00); Tues 14.00-17.00; Sat 09.00-13.00.
How to have your say about the Plan:
During the consultation period comments can be submitted by completing the consultation survey form as follows: 1. Preferred option: online via Survey Monkey
2. Send by e-mail to office@loose-pc.gov.uk. A print-friendly survey form may be downloaded from this website at the bottom of this page (click the 'Survey' tab to find it).
3. Send by post to Neighbourhood Plan Consultation, Loose Parish Council, PO Box 634, Maidstone ME17 4YR. Printed copies of the survey form will be available at the viewing locations listed above.
Find out more information at our public events:
To support this consultation a series of public events will be held, providing an opportunity to listen to a presentation about the Plan, discuss your questions with members of the Neighbourhood Plan Working Group, and to view informative displays and copies of the plan documentation. The scheduled events are listed below:
· Saturday 19th September 09.30-12.00 Boughton Parade, Loose Road, Maidstone: Pop-up display hosted by members of the working group.
· Tuesday 22nd September 10.00-16.00 YMCA, Melrose Close, Maidstone ME15 6BD: drop-in any time to view the display and talk to members of the working group.
· Tuesday 29th September Loose Parish Pavilion, King George V Playing Field, Walnut Tree Lane, Loose ME15 9RG: (1) 14.30-17.00 drop-in any time to view the display and talk to members of the working group; (2) 19.00 for 19.30 Presentation on the draft Neighbourhood Plan.
· Sunday 4th October 14.00-16.30 Loose Parish Pavilion, King George V Playing Field, Walnut Tree Lane, Loose ME15 9RG: drop-in any time to view the display and talk to members of the working group.
We look forward to welcoming you to one of our events and to receiving your feedback on the plan. All comments will be reviewed by the Working Group and will help shape the future of our parish.
View supporting documentation for the presubmission:
Below is the presubmission of the Neighbourhood Plan and a feedback survey.
