Basingstoke and Deane (England) District Motion: rights of chalk streams

Summary

On May 15, 2025, the Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council in Hampshire, England passed a motion to protect Hampshire’s local rivers (chalk streams) by offering them legal rights.The motion is informed by the Universal Declaration of the Rights of Rivers, which outlines rights such as the right to flow and to remain free from pollution. The motion mandates Basingstoke & Deane Borough Council to develop a full ‘Declaration on the Rights of the River’ – in collaboration with key stakeholders – by spring 2026. It also calls for river rights to be considered in future planning and development decisions, particularly to safeguard 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 initiative is backed by Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust and shaped by community voices. Ahead of the vote, the Trust hosted a Rights of the River Forum to hear from local residents about how best to protect and restore Basingstoke’s chalk streams. Insights from the Forum were incorporated into the final motion. The motion was put forward at Full Council by Councillor Kate Tuck and seconded by Councillor David Conquest.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust will continue to work alongside Basingstoke & Deane Borough Council in the development of their ‘Declaration of the Rights of the River’ and is building on the momentum of this motion to work with Councils across the region to protect rivers and chalk streams, such as developing a chalk streams amendment to the Planning & Infrastructure Bill.