Southampton River Rights is a newly established group formed in response to the Southampton City Council's commitment to support the two-year development of an Itchen River Rights Charter. The group's aim is to promote city-wide discussion, raise awareness, and encourage the sharing of lived experiences regarding the Itchen's unique significance for nature, conservation, wellbeing, culture, and history. While recognising the interconnectedness of the Itchen catchment and the work of other river rights groups, Southampton River Rights focuses its efforts on the Itchen within Southampton.
Foundations and Vision
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The group believes that a robust and effective River Rights Charter must rest on two essential foundations: the recognition of the intrinsic value of rivers and nature, and the fostering of strong, broad-based community stewardship. An enduring River Rights Charter, therefore, is grounded in community appreciation and love for the river, a wide range of lived experiences, and a collective aspiration for the restoration of nature and a clean river environment.
Southampton River Rights envisions a process of community-wide discussion, knowledge exchange, and shared learning—both from the river itself and from each other. This approach is intended to build, layer by layer, towards a unified community vision and a deep sense of stewardship, which will underpin the River Charter. For our full Vision for the Itchen Valley, read this document. |
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Overall Project and Timelines
Public engagement funding from the University of Southampton will support:
- Sept–Dec 2025: Planning and initial community meetings
- Jan–Feb 2026: Mapping active groups and stakeholders
- Mar-Apr 2026: Training workshops led by university academics and invited experts
- Apr–July 2026: Public engagement events, including meetings, a festival and river walk, artistic competitions, and short films to raise awareness
Output and Long-term Impacts
A toolkit for charter development and community engagement will be produced, enabling other communities along the Itchen to replicate the process.
Stakeholder workshops will be evaluated through questionnaires to measure preparedness for charter development and adoption by the council during the summer of 2027. The project aims to ensure local groups are ready and confident to contribute. The toolkit and collaborative approach are expected to have lasting impacts beyond Southampton.
Stakeholder workshops will be evaluated through questionnaires to measure preparedness for charter development and adoption by the council during the summer of 2027. The project aims to ensure local groups are ready and confident to contribute. The toolkit and collaborative approach are expected to have lasting impacts beyond Southampton.
Group Members
Southampton River Rights is comprised of the following individuals:
You can contact us at: southamptonriverrights[at]gmail[dot]com.
- Clare Diaper – Strategic Lead at October Books, Director at The Southampton Collective, and Co-Chair of the Southampton Climate Action Network
- Kirsteen Anderssen – Somatic Trauma Therapist and lead of the Young Guardians of the River Itchen
- Christelle Blunden – General Practitioner and Southampton National Park City lead
- Liz Batten – Environmental activist, reporter, researcher, and writer
- Neil W. Williams – Lecturer in Philosophy, founding member and co-ordinator of the River Rights Network, and campaigner
- Katherine Barbour – Portswood Green Party councillor and governor of University Hospital Southampton
- Gavin Millar – Chair of Friends of the Itchen Estuary and of St Denys Flood Action Group, active member of the Maritime Volunteer Service
You can contact us at: southamptonriverrights[at]gmail[dot]com.
