A historic chalk stream immortalised by a Poet Laureate has been granted ‘personhood’ by a council, giving it the right to sue.
The River Loddon, near Basingstoke, Hampshire, will be recognised as a legal entity in a move hailed as a ‘landmark’ by wildlife campaigners.
18th century Poet Laureate Thomas Wharton wrote a sonnet praising the ‘sweet native stream’, which has been dubbed ‘The Cinderella River’ as it is ‘hard working but overlooked’.
Now, Basingstoke town council has voted for it to acquire a legal status that environmentalists say will help restore it to its former glory.
In law, ‘personhood’ means a river becomes a legal entity despite not being human, much like a company.
The river can own property, sue, and agree to contracts.
What are the ‘fundamental rights’ of rivers?
The Universal Declaration of the Rights of Rivers states that rivers have…
- The right to flow
- The right to perform essential functions within their ecosystem
- The right to be free from pollution
- The right to feed and be fed by sustainable aquifers
- The right to native biodiversity
- The right to regeneration and restoration
The decision was made after years of underinvestment, pollution and toxic road runoff. Now, all local waterways – including the Loddon – have the ‘Rights of Rivers’.
This declaration, which has been adopted by countries across the world since 2017, gives the habitats ‘Personhood’, including the right to flow, the right to be free from pollution and in theory, the right to sue.
Kate Tuck, an independent politician representing the Basing and Upton Grey ward, said: ‘Not a single river in our Borough is in overall ‘Good’ condition – the current system just isn’t working and hasn’t for a long time.
‘We need to change the way we do things if we value nature and want to see things improve, and this motion is the start. We will be working with our residents to create a ‘Declaration of the Rights of Rivers’ which will ensure a new approach and I hope will mean more weight in our Local Plan.’
Liberal Democrat Councillor David Conquest told the council meeting that the rivers and chalk streams in Basingstoke have suffered from ‘years of neglect and mismanagement’.
Debbie Tann MBE, Chief Executive of Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, said: ‘Hampshire is home to so many of England’s iconic chalk streams, but those in the north – like the River Loddon – are often overlooked and have no formal legal protection.
‘Years of underinvestment, over-abstraction, pollution from untreated sewage, and toxic road runoff have pushed these habitats to the brink.
‘This Rights of our rivers (Chalk Streams) motion is an important first step in turning this around. It sends a clear message: nature matters, and healthy rivers must be a priority in local planning, investment, and governance.’
Though the River Loddon is the latest UK river to have personhood, it’s not the first. In March, Lewes District Council voted for the River Ouse to be a ‘living entity’.
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