Loose Neighbourhood Plan
This is the website page for information about the Loose Neighbourhood Plan. It is where you can find information about the existing plan and about how it is being updated to meet the future needs of the parish. Please check back here regularly for the latest news.
August 2025 News: Over the coming weeks look out for your opportunity to talk to members of the Neighbourhood Plan Team who will be holding pop-up events at various locations around the parish. See more information at the foot of this page.
Background
In May 2024 Loose and North Loose merged to form a significantly larger Loose parish. In recent years, both Loose Parish Council and the North Loose Residents' Association have led their communities to deliver neighbourhood plans for their respective areas. As a result, we have two neighbourhood plans covering different parts of the parish: the North Loose Neighbourhood Plan made in 2016 and the Loose Neighbourhood Plan made in 2019. To view these plans, click on the following links. Loose Neighbourhood Plan North Loose Neighourhood Plan
What is a Neighbourhood Plan?
A Neighbourhood Plan is an important planning policy document adopted by the local planning authority. For Loose the relevant authority is Maidstone Borough Council (MBC). MBC uses the Loose and North Loose neighbourhood plans alongside other policy documents when it assesses planning applications.
A neighbourhood plan cannot block housing development but it can help to shape and influence it. Having a Neighbourhood plan has a financial advantage for the local community: the Parish Council receives a larger share of the financial levy (known as the Community Infrastructure Levy or CIL) which is paid to the planning authority by developers. The entitlement increases from 15% (for areas with no neighbourhood plan) to 25% for areas with an agreed plan.
Updating the Neighbourhood Plan
Both the Loose and the North Loose neighbourhood plans are a few years old. In view of the passing of time, the evolution of Maidstone's own Local Plan and the increase in the Loose population and area,
a working group of parish councillors and residents is taking forward the review of the two neighbourhood plans. Its aims are: to ensure the content is up to date, relevant and effective; to integrate the two plans into a single one covering the whole parish; to manage the development of the new plan through the formal process laid down by planning regulations. Minutes of the working group meetings can be found on the documents page - link above..
How is work progressing?
Maidstone Borough Council has formally approved Loose Parish Council's application to designate the enlarged parish (see map below) as a new neighbourhood area. This is a required formal step in the process that will lead to delivery of the new plan.
A public meeting was held on 11th June 2025 to inform residents about the work to date. To view the slides of the presentation given during the meeting click on this link: Presentation Slides.
The presentation was followed by an exhibition about the main topics being covered in the new draft plan. The topics are: A Vision for Loose; Housing Need and Development; Character, Heritage and Design; Environment and Green Space; Business and Employment; Leisure and Wellbeing (including community facilities and open spaces); Getting Around. The exhibition was also displayed at the Loose fete. At both events the members of the Neighbourhood Plan team were on hand to listen to visitors’ comments and answer questions.
What happens next?
An effective neighbourhood plan is community-driven, so your views matter. In the coming weeks there will be more opportunities to talk to the Neighbourhood Plan team about what is important to you in Loose. The team will be holding a series of pop-up events throughout the parish - look out for the distinctive neighbourhood plan banner at the various locations. For more information about the events and anything relating to the Neighbourhood Plan please contact the parish office.
