Project overview
Across the globe, rivers are being granted legal rights to protect them from human exploitation. Now, this movement has reached Southampton, with the city council passing a river rights motion in July 2025. The motion gives local community groups two years to develop a charter recognising the rights of the river Itchen.
This project will support the development of an Itchen river rights charter, by utilizing academic expertise at the University of Southampton, and existing networks of river rights practitioners. By the end of the project, local groups will be equipped with the necessary knowledge to develop a robust charter to protect the river Itchen, and will have galvanized public support through a series of stakeholder workshops and public engagement events.
This project will support the development of an Itchen river rights charter, by utilizing academic expertise at the University of Southampton, and existing networks of river rights practitioners. By the end of the project, local groups will be equipped with the necessary knowledge to develop a robust charter to protect the river Itchen, and will have galvanized public support through a series of stakeholder workshops and public engagement events.
