Chalkstream designation: WildFish proposes a simple solution to give our chalk streams the legal protection they need to survive

Everyone seems to agree that our chalk streams deserve to be conserved. They host a globally rare ecosystem and the UK has a near-monopoly – 85% of them. And we have been campaigning for their protection from over-abstraction and pollution for over 100 years. But with no protections and increasing stresses on these streams, things just aren’t getting better.

Most recently, we have published reports on abstraction and have advocated a revised approach to protecting metapopulations of salmon in chalk streams, to give salmon rivers equal protection. We are challenging planning proposals where there’s little or not capacity for water supply and sewage treatment. Finally, we have campaigned to “bin” the ill-thought-out Planning and Infrastructure Bill because it seeks to disapply hard-won protection for sensitive conservation sites such as chalk streams.

We have worked with other NGOs, the Environment Agency and Natural England to come up with proposals to protect chalk streams. But the Government response to all this work is a ‘rattle bag’ of vague promises of future investment. Given the threat of unbridled development, facilitated by the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, what chalk streams need is the certainty of protection under the law.

We have written to the Secretary of State to propose a simple measure: designate all our 160-odd chalk streams as Special Areas of Conservation (SACs), just like the Rivers Avon, Itchen, Lambourn and Wensum. Strict environmental controls will then apply to prevent harm from over-abstraction and pollution. It won’t fix all the problems – such as the pressure on water companies to connect to new development – but it is a start.

There are five steps the Government should take:

1. Direct the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) and Natural England (NE) to designate all chalkstreams as SACs;[1]
2. Direct the Environment Agency (EA) to undertake a wholesale review of permits and licences with immediate steps taken to act to protect newly designated chalkstreams;
3. Require the EA and NE to change the way in which they assess the health of chalk streams by setting bespoke environmental targets in line with conservation objectives;
4. Change the way the EA measures and manages the capacity of chalkstreams and related aquifers to support abstractions;
5. Remove clauses relating to the disapplication of conservation law from Part 3 of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill.

We have published our letter because we believe these steps would have broad public support and provide a clear and objective way to end the crisis facing chalkstreams.

We hope for a full response confirming the Government will act on our suggestion with a full explanation of its obligations under the law and any advice it has received from the JNCC and Natural England

We will share the Government’s reply in due course.

Nothing in environmental protection is completely straightforward – but we believe our proposal is the simplest way to give those chalk streams protection. And it would mean one crucial thing: activities that cause damage to our chalk streams would need to be cut. It’s our driver for change.

By: Nick Measham

Chief Executive