Today (17 Feb 2025), Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust has joined forces with 215 local councillors to send a powerful open letter to Rt Hon Angela Rayner MP and Rt Hon Steve Reed OBE MP, urging the Government to strengthen protections for the UK’s chalk streams within planning policy.
This united, cross-party call to action comes amid alarming reports that the Government has shelved the promised Chalk Stream Recovery Pack, a key initiative aimed at safeguarding these globally significant habitats.
The councillors’ letter highlights the critical need to designate chalk streams and their catchments with a bespoke protection – within the forthcoming Planning and Infrastructure Bill. Councillors from across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight have asked that the Government support their efforts to protect precious chalk streams, so that more homes can be delivered across the country without sacrificing the health of these fragile waterways.
These measures are crucial to safeguarding some of the world’s rarest ecosystems, many of which are located right here in Hampshire.
Debbie Tann MBE, Chief Executive of Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, says: "It's incredibly encouraging to see local councillors putting party politics aside and coming together in a united commitment to protect our precious chalk streams. These rare and unique ecosystems, flowing through our counties, are among the most beautiful and biodiverse habitats in the world. Their crystal-clear waters, fed by underground aquifers, teem with life, from delicate aquatic plants to iconic species like kingfishers and brown trout.
“The future of chalk streams, however, hangs in the balance. Without specific, robust protections embedded into planning policy, we risk these irreplaceable and fragile habitats being damaged or even destroyed. Only decisive Government action can ensure that these extraordinary waterways continue to provide vital habitats for the diverse wildlife that depends on them”
