Key actions agreed to help organisations and individuals across Chichester District reduce their impact on the environment

The five-year plan was agreed at the Full Council meeting on 15 July, and identifies 11 key actions. Earlier this year councillors agreed to set aside £1 million for any projects that came out of the plan.

Actions include significantly increasing the council's work to help to reduce carbon emissions from privately owned and rented homes, and continuing the work of the council's existing Tree Strategy Officer once the successful Government-funded tree planting project comes to an end this September.

Other projects include using planning policy to increase street tree planting and green travel plans for new developments and collaborating with other West Sussex councils to look at the work being done adapt to climate risks facing the area and what additional work needs to be done.

Other work will look at developing the network of climate action groups throughout the district; and working with schools to encourage debate and action on climate change.

In addition, the plan includes setting up regular networking events about climate change for public sector employers and larger, other not-for-profit organisations so they can share knowledge and possibly collaborate on projects and identifying climate change policies for community organisations to easily incorporate into their work. This complements the council's ongoing work to support Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) to grow their business sustainably, adapt to climate change and set measurable climate-related goals.

"This is a really exciting and ambitious plan that has been put together incorporating feedback from more than 1,000 individuals within the district, and so is a real reflection of what people want us to do locally in response to climate change," says Councillor Jonathan Brown, Cabinet Member for Environmental Strategy at Chichester District Council. "Last year a wide range of project options were set out, split into lower cost, medium cost and higher cost projects. Those selected meet a number of criteria including those which deliver the biggest carbon reductions and those which have the most support from people in the district.

"A significant number of people responded to our consultation asking for more work to be done on helping householders reduce the carbon emissions in their homes. In our district, the second largest source of emissions is from housing, and this is also the area where we as a council can help make one of the biggest differences.  

"As a result, we will be taking on a dedicated housing decarbonisation officer who will help people make their homes more energy efficient and use more solar power by providing information and helping people to access funding.

"People were also keen to see the work of our tree officer continue, and so once the current central Government funding for the post ends, this work will then be funded by the district council as part of the CEAP. Their target will be to work with landowners across the district to plant 15,000 to 20,000 trees per planting season for each of the next five years."

The plan also includes actions that Chichester District Council will take as an organisation to reduce its own emissions. A key area of work includes looking into replacing the diesel fuel used by its refuse collection vehicles with a lower carbon fuel. The council will also look for a contract with a green electricity provider that offers credible greenhouse gas emission reductions. Both these actions would significantly reduce the council's emissions and set the council on the path to be net zero by 2040.

Cllr Brown adds: "Although there is no legal requirement for the council to achieve net zero either through the organisation or in the district, our council declared a climate emergency in 2019, and we are absolutely committed to doing what we can to reduce our own impact on the environment and support others to make effective changes.

"This plan is about bringing everyone in the district together to help tackle a crisis that affects each and every one of us. There are some things that can only be successfully accomplished at a national or international level, but our new plan meets the widespread local demand to take the lead on the areas where we have the most influence locally - directly or indirectly - and can make the biggest difference."

Date of Release: 16 July 2025

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