The climate change and sustainability strategy
Latest news
For the whole district to become net zero carbon it must be a joint effort. The council is only directly responsible for 0.3% of carbon emissions. We can only achieve our vision and strategic goals effectively by understanding which aspects the council can directly act on, and those that we can only deliver by working with others in public, private and voluntary sectors across the district.
The district is home to a multitude of individuals, volunteers, organisations, charities, schools, Community Interest Companies and businesses that are committed to sustainability goals such as lowering carbon emissions, reducing pollution, improving the natural environment and reducing poverty, as well as two world leading universities in the fields of sustainability, environment policy and engineering solutions.
We aim to reflect the impact of district wide activity through our communications, press releases and annual updates within the seven strategic action areas that provide the framework for the delivery of the strategy and action plan.
Latest updates:
- Lewes District Council carbon emissions down 41%
- Biosphere partners meet in Lewes to celebrate local rivers
- Collaborative working to secure future drinking water for Lewes, Eastbourne and Newhaven
- Swift support championed by cabinet member
- Councillors endorse natural flood management projects
- Cockshut Restoration is double award winner
- Council lauded for 'fantastic nature recovery work'
- Council focuses on climate and nature projects across Lewes district
- Councillor applauds 'inspirational' Wilder Ouse
Climate and Nature Strategy and Action Plan
Read about our partners, and download the strategy, pathway, roadmap and other documents relating to our climate change and sustainability strategy.
The strategy contains eight action areas. It can be downloaded below.
LDC Climate and Nature Strategy July 2024 (PDF) [830KB]
East Sussex Environment Strategy 2020
A partnership of private, public and educational sector organisations has formed the Environment East Sussex Board, which has developed this Environment Strategy.
East Sussex County Council - Environment Strategy 2020
The Greater Brighton Economic Board
The Greater Brighton city region pledges to help tackle the climate change crisis and place itself at the centre of partnership efforts to effect real change.
The GB10: Pledges from Greater Brighton on the Environment
You can view the Internal Council Carbon Baseline Report and the Lewes District Carbon Emissions Analysis and Pathways Report completed by Anthesis consultants by downloading the document below.
| LDC Carbon Emissions Analysis and Pathways 2021 (PDF) [1MB] |
| LDC Carbon Emissions Summary 2018 to 2019 (PDF) [228KB] |
| Citizens and Climate Crowdfunding for Net Zero (PDF) [2MB] |
Sustainable council
Providing clear leadership, addressing climate change risks to our services, improving decision-making processes, accurately determining our scope 3 emissions and aiming to reduce them through a sustainable procurement policy.
Lewes District Corporate Plan 2024 to 2028
A net zero carbon and climate resilient council and district by 2030. Read the full corporate plan or download it as a PDF below:
LDC Corporate Plan 2024-2028 (PDF) [5MB]
Lewes District Council's Sustainable Procurement Policy
Sustainable Procurement policy (PDF) [202KB]
UN Climate Change: Reducing Emissions - Companies and Organizations
Reduction measures for companies' or organisations' greenhouse gas emitting activities.
WWF: Let's make our workplaces sustainable
Tips to re-evaluate office spaces and business practices.
WWF tips to make workspaces sustainable
30 ways to go green at the workplace
Conserve Energy Future has written a thought-provoking article with lots of hints and tips.
Net Zero 360
The UK's first full service net-zero business package.
Climate Adaptation
Understanding climate adaptation and the third National Adaptation Programme (NAP3)
Gov.uk - Understanding climate adaptation and NAP3
WWF
The difference between climate change mitigation and adaptation.
Climate change mitigation and adaptation
Climate Literacy training
Accredited training offered by Community Energy South. Formulate action plans for your home, workplace and community.
Energy and the built environment
Lewes Local Plan
The Local Plan is currently being drafted and it is set to be published in 2025.
Towards a Local Plan spatial strategy and policies directions (PDF) [7MB]
Energy Saving Trust
Information and advice on home energy efficiency measures to keep your home warm whilst reducing your carbon footprint and energy bills.
Fuel Poverty
Fuel poverty is a serious and complicated issue, which energy suppliers are helping to tackle in a number of ways.
Visit our webpage on Fuel poverty
Help on energy costs is also available via cost of living crisis support.
Help with the rising costs of living
UK Green Building Council
The UKGBC aims to improve the sustainability of the built environment, by transforming the way it is planned, designed, constructed, maintained and operated.
Report: UK housing: Fit for the future?
This report aims to assess the measures that need to be adopted in the housing sector to both manage climate change impacts and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Committee on Climate Change - Housing Fit For The Future (PDF) [4MB]
OVESCO
A community organisation in East Sussex that creates community owned renewable energy projects, and offers an energy champion service providing free retrofitting advice to homeowners and household energy bill help and advice to all residents.
Great British Insulation Scheme
On the 14 September 2023, the government launched the £1 billion Great British Insulation Scheme to help some families insulate their homes. Families in lower council tax bands with less energy-efficient homes will be offered upgrades such as roof, loft or cavity wall insulation. Use an online checker for the Great British Insulation Scheme to find out if you are eligible
Boiler Upgrade Scheme
You can get one grant per property. Current grants are available for: £7,500 towards an air source heat pump, £7,500 towards a ground source heat pump (including water source heat pumps and those on shared ground loops), £5,000 towards a biomass boiler
Apply for a boiler upgrade scheme
Decarbonising Our Council Housing Report
Summary of groundbreaking research on retrofitting and decarbonising council owned homes at scale.
Decarbonising our Housing Stock: Roadmap for 2030 zero carbon
Sustainable travel and air quality
Read about progress on our goals to improve air quality and reduce carbon emissions. This includes reducing reliance on cars and encouraging a more sustainable and low carbon district wide transport network.
Sustrans: Active Travel Toolkit
A charity making it easier for people to walk and cycle.
The Role of Active Travel in Improving Health
Air Quality
Sussex Air Quality Partnership promotes improvements in air quality across Sussex.
Air Quality News covers breaking news and key developments concerning the issue of air quality in towns and cities across the UK.
Action for Clean Air is a global action plan to mobilise individuals and organisations to act on air pollution.
Friends of the Earth: Responsible travel: eco tips for getting around
Part of an international community dedicated to protecting the natural world and the wellbeing of everyone in it.
Friends of the Earth - Responsible Travel
DEFRA: Sustainable Travel Guides
Sustainable travel is about providing transport to suit local needs through a package of measures which promote attractive sustainable transport alternatives such as walking, cycling, public transport and sustainable car use.
DEFRA - Sustainable Travel Guides
Bicycle hire
There are options to hire bikes to explore Lewes district or to transport goods.
Cuckmere Cycle Co | Community cargo bike hire | Sussex Bike Hire
Seaford Cycling Without Age helps older people and those with mobility difficulties enjoy nature and socialise through trishaw rides.
Car clubs and car share schemes
Enterprise Car Club | Co Wheels
Mobility scooter hire
Electric vehicle charge points
Find electric vehicle charge points in Lewes District and across the UK.
Cycle routes map
Cycle Lewes cycle maps | The Living Coast cycle routes | South Downs National Park cycle routes | National Cycle Network maps
Environmental Protection UK: Air pollution and transport
A national charity that provides policy analysis and information on air quality, land quality and noise and their effects on people and communities.
LDC Fleet Replacement Strategy
Lewes and Eastbourne Fleet Replacement Strategy June 2023 (PDF) [1MB]
Biodiversity
We are working to protect, restore, and increase a resilient nature network across the district. We aim to positively impact biodiversity (20% biodiversity net gain) in the planning process, and retain and extend the UNESCO biosphere status of the Brighton and Lewes Living Coast.
Sussex Wildlife Trust
A conservation charity for everyone who cares about nature in Sussex, focussed on protecting the rich natural life that is found across our towns, countryside and coast.
The Local Nature Recovery Strategy
If you have a business, are a land manager or community organisation in our district, that's already active in nature's recovery, find out how you can add get involved.
Changing Chalk
Led by the National Trust, Changing Chalk is a landscape-scale partnership connecting nature, people and heritage on and around the South Downs.
Ouse Valley Climate Action (OVCA)
A National Lottery-funded programme bringing the community together to inspire positive action to mitigate the effects of climate change in the lower Ouse Valley and Havens.
Local climate hubs & community led projects
Local climate hubs and community led projects
Living Coast biosphere
A designated urban biosphere reserve, The Living Coast stretches between Newhaven and Shoreham-by-Sea in Sussex.
Lewes Biodiversity Study
As part of the Lewes Local Plan, a biodiversity study has been conducted.
Gardening for wildlife
Learn how to provide food, shelter and breeding spots for the wildlife in your garden.
The National Biodiversity Network
A collaborative partnership created to exchange biodiversity information, with over 200 members and almost 200 million wildlife records available.
DEFRA: Biodiversity 2020
A strategy for England's wildlife and ecosystem services.
DEFRA Biodiversity 2020 (PDF) [2MB]
Joint Nature Conservation Committee: UK Biodiversity Indicators 2023
The JNCC is the public body that advises the UK Government and devolved administrations on UK-wide and international nature conservation.
UK biodiversity indicators 2023
The National Trust: What is biodiversity?
Europe's largest conservation charity, looking after nature, beauty and history for the nation to enjoy.
National Trust - What Is Biodiversity?
Natural England: Biodiversity
The government's adviser for the natural environment, helping to protect England's nature and landscapes for people to enjoy.
WWF: Biodiversity
The world's leading independent conservation organisation.
For downloadable posters and worksheets go to WWF Biodiversity
LDC Biodiversity Strategy
LDC Biodiversity Strategy June 2021 (PDF) [670KB]
LDC Pesticide Policy
Pesticide Policy (PDF) [284KB]
Sustainable food systems
Working in partnership with others to increase sustainable food production, develop equitable food systems across the district, enable greater local food reliance, and prevent food waste.
Lewes District Food Partnership
Connecting sustainable food businesses, local growers and producers, emergency food providers, food waste activists and social eating spaces.
Lewes District Food Partnership
Lewes Friday Food Market
Lewes Local Community Interest Company (CIC) is a not-for-profit company with the broad aims of developing sustainable local food systems and making it easier for more people to buy good, healthy, seasonal food.
Lewes Farmers Market
Carefully sourced local produce supporting the rural economy.
Community Growing
The Council is keen to support community growing initiatives and this guidance aims to ensure applications are robust, well thought through and appropriate for any given site.
Homes First Community Growing Spaces - Guidance and Application Process (PDF) [212KB]
LDC agricultural and land use study (PDF) [1MB]
Food waste
BBC: How cutting your food waste can help the climate
All food generates greenhouse gases to reach our plates, but when nearly a third of it is thrown away or wasted.
BBC - How Cutting Food Waste Can Help The Climate
United Nations News
Wasting food just feeds climate change, new UN environment report warns.
Love Food Hate Waste
Tips and advice to eliminate household food waste.
Diet and climate change
WWF - What we eat matters to our own health and to our Planet's health
BBC climate change food calculator
Find out your diet's carbon footprint.
BBC climate change food calculator
The National Trust: Food
Europe's largest conservation charity, looking after nature, beauty and history for the nation to enjoy. Sustainably produced, local and seasonal food is better for the environment.
Friends of the Earth: Food production and sustainable farming
Part of an international community dedicated to protecting the natural world and the wellbeing of everyone in it.
Friends of the Earth - Food Production and Sustainable Farming
Sustain: Sustainable food
An alliance of organisations and communities working together for a better system of food, farming and fishing, and cultivating the movement for change.
Sustainable Web - Sustainable Food
BBC Bitesize: Food security - a global concern
The BBC's educational website, with reference to increasing food sustainability.
BBC Bitesize - Increasing Food Sustainability
Waste and litter
We want to reduced waste and litter to improve our public realm, increase recycling rates and support of reduce, reuse and repair projects.
Refill
Refill connect people to places they can eat, drink and shop without the pointless packaging.
Refill - life with less plastic
Plastic free communities
A community network tackling single-use plastic from beaches & green spaces.
Litter picking
Get support with litter picking, starting a new group or joining and existing one.
Find out how you can reduce, repair, reuse and recycle
Find a repair cafe in Lewes district.
Keep Britain Tidy has lots of helpful information.
Wrap aims to protect the planet by changing the way things are produced, consumed and disposed of.
Sign up to Lewes District Council's Food waste collection service.
Sign up to Lewes District Council's Garden waste collection service.
Eurostat: Greenhouse gas emissions from waste
Between 1995 and 2017, greenhouse gas emissions from waste in the EU have fallen by 42%.
Report by Imperial College London: Centre for Environmental Policy
An exploration of the resource sector's greenhouse gas emissions in the UK and its potential to reduce the carbon shortfall in the UK 4th and 5th carbon budgets.
Imperial College London - greenhouse gas report
HM Government
Our waste, our resources: A strategy for England.
Water, rivers and seas
We work in partnership with others to mitigate against the risk of coastal erosion and support communities to be resilient to flooding. We hope to preserve and improve the water quality of our rivers and seas.
Wilder Ouse
Bringing together people across the Ouse catchment to restore natural processes and create a robust Nature Recovery Network.
Ouse and Adur Rivers Trust
Protecting and enhancing the local water environment around the Ouse and Adur network.
Love Our Ouse
A water quality monitoring programme. Find out how to get involved.
Sussex Bay
A vision for Sussex Bay: 100 miles of coastline where our seascape and rivers flourish. A healthy blue ecosystem in which nature, people and local economy can thrive.
Environment Agency's incident hotline
To report and environmental incident call 0800 80 70 60 or visit Gov.UK report an environmental incident
Seaford to Eastbourne Nature Recovery Project
This project aims to create wildlife-rich habitats, improve climate security, and offer opportunities for the local communities.
Seaford to Eastbourne Nature Recovery Project
The World Bank: The water blogs
Ideas and solutions to address global water issues.
Green Facts: Water Resources
How could water resources be developed sustainably?
Water UK
The trade association for the water industry in the UK.
Waterwise
An independent, not-for-profit UK NGO focused on reducing water consumption in the UK.
Community wealth and wellbeing
Ensuring there is a fair and equal transition to zero carbon for all. We work with partners to facilitate and enable green skills development and support local social enterprises.
Community wealth building action plan and case study
Citizens and Climate - Crowdfunding for Net Zero
As part of the Net Zero Innovation Project grant, funded by the Local Government Association, the Council and it's partner the University of Sussex has reviewed ways in which alternative financing could provide a way to fund projects to tackle the climate emergency. You can find the report, which summarises the work and the next steps, in the documents below.
The Circularity Gap Report 2021
Enacted globally, a circular economy can close the Emissions Gap.
The Conversation
What would a sustainable circular economy look like?
Join in at The Conversation
Ellen MacArthur Foundation
Develops and promote the idea of a circular economy.
Right Here, Right Now COP26 films
On Friday 12 November 2021 we held a film screening as part of the Depot Cinema's two week Climate Action Festival. Read the film listings and links.
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