Save our Chalk Streams

Currently, only 11 out of 220 British chalk streams have any legal protections, and even these fall short of the measures needed to defend these rivers.  

The Government have a valuable opportunity to stand up for our chalk streams. We are calling on them to introduce specific legal protections in planning for all of our chalk streams, to protect them from development-related harm.

To grant protections for chalk streams locally, we are campaigning for local councils to raise Rights of the River motions in full council. The Rights of the River framework recognises that rivers have inherent rights, such as the right to flow, remain free from pollution, and support native biodiversity.

England's chalk streams are one of the rarest habitats on earth! Their crystal-clear waters are home for salmon, water voles, white-clawed crayfish and kingfishers, making them our equivalent to the Great Barrier Reef or the Amazon Rainforest. A truly special habitat that we are so lucky to enjoy. 

Yet many of our chalk stream rivers are now polluted, dirty and choked by pollution, threatening the wildlife that calls them home and the people that rely on them for their wellbeing. The Government must introduce specific protections for all chalk streams in their planning reforms, to ensure these unique habitats are conserved and put into recovery for future generations. 

By granting chalk streams a better protection in planning, we can protect these unique rivers from the direct and indirect harms associated with new development. We are calling on the Government to: 

• Define chalk streams as irreplaceable habitats 

• Introduce 50-100 metre buffer zones along the riparian corridor 

• Mandate Local Planning Authorities to take account of implications for water resources and sewerage systems of major housing developments in their Local Plans and proposal reviews 

• Raise standards for water efficiency within water-stressed chalk catchments to a minimum of 90 litres per person per day in new developments 

Write to your MP to help keep the issue on the agenda 

If you are unsure about who your MP is, find out here.