For the first time in the UK, a Council has signed up to a River Rights Charter. Whilst not yet legally binding, the Charter provides a visionary framework that reflects both the essential needs of the river in order for it to be healthy, and local communities highest aspirations for it.

Photo credit: Anne Barca

Lewes District Council has formally decided to support the Ouse River Charter in full, following on from the Motion on River Rights in February 2023, and two years of extensive activity; forming a Rights of River Steering Group, a River Rights Summit in November 2023, community workshops from source to sea, the input of expert legal opinion and the drafting of a Charter for the River Ouse.

The council said the eight new rights include a recognition that the River Ouse should have the right to be free from pollution, is essential for ensuring life, including human life, and has a right to native biodiversity.