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Chichester District is a largely rural local government district in West Sussex, England. Its council is based in the city of Chichester as is that for the administrative county of West Sussex.
The district was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, as a merger of the municipal borough (city of) Chichester and Midhurst Rural District, Petworth Rural District and part of the former Chichester Rural District. There are 67 civil parishes in Chichester District. Apart from the City of Chichester, and the three towns of Midhurst, Selsey and Petworth, most are villages.
Chichester District occupies the western part of West Sussex, bordering on Hampshire to the west and Surrey to the north. Arun District and Horsham District abut to the east; the English Channel to the south. The district is divided by the South Downs escarpment, with the northern part being in the Weald, composed of a mixture of sandstone ridges and low-lying clays known as the Western Weald. To the south the dip slope of the downs falls gently to a flat coastal plain and the sea. The Western Weald is drained by the River Arun and its tributaries including the rivers Lox, Kird, and especially the River Rother and its tributaries: the River Lod and the Haslingbourne Stream. On the northern boundary Blackdown is the highest point in Sussex, while further east around Loxwood the land is low and quite flat. The south of the district has many permeable chalk and gravel areas and is drained by two winterbournes, the River Lavant and River Ems, which are usually dry in the summer. The large inlet known as Chichester Harbour and the headland of Selsey Bill are conspicuous features of the coast.
The district, apart from the few main roads, is generally rural in character, as can be seen by the number of villages within it. Apart from the coastal strip there are few main roads, and the erstwhile railways which once served Midhurst have long been closed.
Chichester District has an area of 303.60 sq mi (786.32 km2) and a 2018 estimate of its population was 120,750.
Economy
West Sussex County Council and Chichester District Council are major employers in Chichester, along with Rolls-Royce Motor Cars assembly plant at nearby Westhampnett. Boatbuilding is an important industry along the coast. Many people from the northern parts of the district commute to work in London, using the A3 road or the railways from Portsmouth to London Waterloo station and Littlehampton to London Victoria Station. Fertile soils on the coastal plain are used for arable farming and intensive vegetable production. High sunlight levels and a mild climate also make the coastal region suitable for glasshouse growing. A fertile strip of land on the north side of the River Rother is also used for vegetable growing, but most of the area north of the Downs is of low agricultural value and there are large areas of forest and pasture, interspersed with arable cropping.
List of Parishes
Parish | Population (2011 Census) | Area in Hectares | Density | Former Local Administration
| Appledram | 169 | 372 | 0.5 | Chichester Rural District
| Barlavington | no data | | | Petworth Rural District
| Bepton | 234 | 793 | 0.3 | Midhurst Rural District
| Bignor | no data | | | Petworth Rural District
| Birdham | 1,483 | 644 | 2.3 | Chichester Rural District
| Bosham | 2,900 | 1100 | 2.6 | Chichester Rural District
| Boxgrove | 957 | 1169 | 0.8 | Chichester Rural District
| Bury | 2,201 | 5875 | 0.4 | Petworth Rural District
| Chichester | 26,795 | 1067 | 25.1 | Chichester Municipal Borough
| Chidham and Hambrook | 1,356 | 639 | 2.1 | Chichester Rural District
| Cocking | 420 | 1016 | 0.4 | Midhurst Rural District
| Compton | 463 | 2414 | 0.2 | Chichester Rural District
| Donnington | 2,228 | 825 | 2.7 | Chichester Rural District
| Duncton | 345 | 801 | 0.4 | Petworth Rural District
| Earnley | 459 | 652 | 0.7 | Chichester Rural District
| Eartham | 111 | 1331 | 0.1 | Chichester Rural District
| Easebourne | 1,820 | 1795 | 1.0 | Midhurst Rural District
| Eastdean (near Chichester) | 206 | 1664 | 0.1 | Chichester Rural District
| East Lavington | 273 | 797 | 0.3 | Midhurst Rural District
| East Wittering | 4,658 | 345 | 13.5 | Chichester Rural District
| Ebernoe | 213 | 1239 | 0.2 | near Petworth, made a parish lately
| Elsted and Treyford | 246 | 1590 | 0.2 | Midhurst Rural District
| Fernhurst | 2,942 | 2337 | 1.3 | Midhurst Rural District
| Fishbourne | 2,325 | 361 | 6.4 | In Westhampnett Reg Dist, as New Fishbourne, split in 1933, mostly in Chichester
| Fittleworth | 978 | 1514 | 0.6 | Petworth Rural District
| Funtington | 1,549 | 2002 | 0.8 | Chichester Rural District
| Graffham | 516 | 1181 | 0.4 | Midhurst Rural District
| Harting | 1,451 | 3216 | 0.5 | Midhurst Rural District
| Heyshott | 270 | 938 | 0.3 | Midhurst Rural District
| Hunston | 1,257 | 462 | 2.7 | Chichester Rural District
| Kirdford | 1,063 | 2009 | 0.5 | Petworth Rural District
| Lavant | 1,656 | 1653 | 1.0 | Chichester Rural District
| Linch | no data | | | Midhurst Rural District
| Linchmere | 2,392 | 903 | 2.6 | Midhurst Rural District
| Lodsworth | 672 | 1246 | 0.5 | Midhurst Rural District
| Loxwood | 1,480 | 1824 | 0.8 | Petworth Rural District
| Lurgashall | 609 | 2097 | 0.3 | Midhurst Rural District
| Marden | no data | | | Chichester Rural District
| Midhurst | 4,914 | 333 | 14.7 | Midhurst Rural District
| Milland | 891 | 2378 | 0.4 | Chapelry in Trotton parish.
| North Mundham | 1,201 | 1021 | 1.2 | Chichester Rural District
| Northchapel | 797 | 1362 | 0.6 | Petworth Rural District
| Oving | 1,051 | 1397 | 0.8 | Chichester Rural District
| Petworth | 3,027 | 2690 | 1.1 | Petworth Rural District
| Plaistow | 1,898 | 2102 | 0.9 | Petworth Rural District
| Rogate | 1,556 | 2316 | 0.7 | Midhurst Rural District
| Selsey | 10,737 | 966 | 11.1 | Chichester Rural District
| Sidlesham | 1,171 | 1679 | 0.7 | Chichester Rural District
| Singleton | 480 | 1601 | 0.3 | Chichester Rural District
| Southbourne | 6,265 | 870 | 7.2 | Chichester Rural District
| Stedham with Iping | 767 | 1081 | 0.7 | Midhurst Rural District
| Stopham | no data | | | Petworth Rural District
| Stoughton | 659 | 2897 | 0.2 | Chichester Rural District
| Sutton | 425 | 22 | 19.3 | Petworth Rural District
| Tangmere | 2,625 | 467 | 5.6 | Chichester Rural District
| Tillington | 524 | 1416 | 0.4 | Midhurst Rural District
| Trotton with Chithurst | 329 | 768 | 0.4 | Midhurst Rural District
| Up Waltham | no data (very small parish) | | | Chichester Rural District
| West Dean (near Chichester) | 481 | 2484 | 0.2 | Chichester Rural District
| West Itchenor | 289 | 169 | 1.7 | Chichester Rural District
| West Lavington | 276 | 245 | 1.1 | Midhurst Rural District
| West Thorney | 1,183 | 490 | 2.4 | Chichester Rural District
| West Wittering | 2,700 | 1054 | 2.6 | Chichester Rural District
| Westbourne | 2,309 | 747 | 3.1 | Chichester Rural District
| Westhampnett | 709 | 887 | 0.8 | Chichester Rural District
| Wisborough Green | 1,414 | 1757 | 0.8 | Petworth Rural District
| Woolbeding with Redford | 147 | 729 | 0.2 | Midhurst Rural District
| Chichester District, Totals | 115,522 | 81796 | 1.4 |
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