For the first time, we have been assured that Chalk Streams will be explicitly mentioned in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). This document is the rulebook for how and where we build, and seeing our rivers named within it is a huge milestone.
This progress is the direct result of the Save Our Chalk Streams Campaign - a collaborative effort between Hampshire and Isle of Wight, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxon, London, Norfolk and Wiltshire Wildlife Trusts, together with the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts. It is through Wiltshire Wildlife Trust members and supporters, those of you who have written to MPs, signed petitions, and stood up for our precious local waters that meant that the Chalk Streams were mentioned so often during the Planning and Infrastructure Bill and we were assured they would feature in the NPPF. To those of you who have taken action for chalk streams - thank you.
While we welcome this recognition, the current draft falls short of the recognition the Government promised. Right now, chalk streams are used as mere examples in the text. This lacks the legal founding needed to stop inappropriate development from damaging these fragile ecosystems.
In Wiltshire, we know the pressure our rivers are under. From sewage, chemical pollution, flooding and development, our streams are being damaged daily. We don't need them to be examples—we need them to be protected.
