Chichester District Council Report for October 2026
October 2026 - Free trees, food waste collections for properties with shared bins and other District Council news
Published: 6 October 2026
District Councillor Report – October 2026
Free trees available to support tree planting projects across the Chichester District
Residents, community groups, schools, farmers, landowners and parish councils across the Chichester District can now apply for free trees and support materials for new tree planting projects this winter.
As part of its Tree Chichester District initiative, Chichester District Council has secured funding through The Tree Council and Defra’s Trees Outside Woodland Fund to support individuals and organisations looking to establish new tree planting projects in the district.
The scheme is open to a wide range of applicants, including farmers, landowners, parish councils, community groups, schools and individual residents. Applicants must either own the land where the trees will be planted or have permission from the landowner, and the site must be suitable for tree planting. Projects must be located outside existing woodlands and demonstrate a clear public or community benefit.
Applications are now open, and application forms can be requested by emailing: treescheme@chichester.gov.uk. Before trees are allocated, each proposed planting site will be assessed by the council’s Tree Strategy Officer to ensure it meets the criteria set out on the council’s website: www.chichester.gov.uk/treescheme. Trees will be allocated to suitable projects on a first-come, first-served basis, and successful applicants must complete their planting projects by Friday 12 February 2027.
The council will cover the cost of trees, as well as essential items to support their establishment, such as tree guards and mulch.
Our Tree Strategy Officer can guide you through the application process — simply email: treescheme@chichester.gov.uk. Make sure you apply as soon as possible, as trees will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
This project has been made possible with the support of a grant from The Tree Council’s and Defra’s Trees Outside Woodland Fund.
Since it launched in 2020, the council’s Tree Chichester District scheme has enabled over 75,000 trees to be planted across the district. More information about the scheme can be found at: www.chichester.gov.uk/treescheme
Food Waste Collection
Roll out of food waste collections to properties with shared bins will be starting in October. The service will be rolled out to households with shared facilities in a phased approach, across 5 zones, from October 2026 to March 2027. Rolling the service out to these properties, which represents around 10% of the district, is the important next step of the food waste collection project. All properties with shared bins will receive a food waste collection by the end of March 2027. Our zone is the first zone, and on October 5th residents will have received a kitchen caddy, a start up roll of compostable liners and information about the service. A 140 litre shared outdoor food waste bin is also added to the bin store area. Collections will begin on October 12th. For further information please visit www.chichester.gov.uk/food-waste.
Cllr Brett Burkhart is available on 07876 594168 or bburkhart@chichester.gov.uk
Cllr Ellie Newbery is available on 01428 656941 or enewbery@chichester.gov.uk