Don’t Urbanise the Downs welcomes Newhaven decision to endorse landmark River Rights Charter for the Ouse
Don’t Urbanise the Downs, the campaign group fighting Eton’s plans to build a huge new 3,000-house town on rural farmland at East Chiltington has warmly welcomed the decision by Newhaven Council to back the new River Rights Charter for the Ouse.
The decision by Newhaven Council will help ramp up protection for the River Ouse and its tributaries, including the Bevern Stream which runs right through the land where Eton plans to build its town. The Bevern is a highly sensitive and precious ecosystem supporting nationally important wildlife species - including the ‘Sussex Tiger’, a rare sea trout which only spawns in Ouse tributaries and is already on the brink of extinction.
Make it stand out
The decision by Newhaven Council will help ramp up protection for the River Ouse and its tributaries, including the Bevern Stream which runs right through the land where Eton plans to build its town. The Bevern is a highly sensitive and precious ecosystem supporting nationally important wildlife species - including the ‘Sussex Tiger’, a rare sea trout which only spawns in Ouse tributaries and is already on the brink of extinction.
What the Charter does
In February 2025, the River Ouse became the first river in the UK to have its “right to exist and thrive” formally recognised. Newhaven’s support for the Charter reflects the river’s huge significance and means the town will be placing the long-term health, biodiversity, and ecological recovery of the River Ouse at the heart of all future decision-making. This includes planning consultations and land management.
The River Rights Charter identifies fundamental rights for the river including:
• The right to flow naturally and sustainably
• The right to be free from pollution
• The right to support native biodiversity
• The right to be actively restored and regenerated
Newhaven joins a long list of local authorities which are backing the Charter including Wealden, Lewes, Hamsey and Barcombe.
Don’t Urbanise the Downs says no amount of mitigation or biodiversity offsets can compensate for the devastating effects the scheme would have in terms of habitat loss, pollution and water depletion. The Bevern already suffers from pollution caused by road run-off and spills from nearby sewage works. In 2025 the nearby Ditchling sewer storm alone discharged raw sewage into the Bevern stream 85 times for a total of over 1,140 hours – see the Rivers Trust’s sewage map.
As well as the flagship sea trout species, the Bevern is also home to other rare fish and substantial mayfly and caddisfly populations which are also very environmentally sensitive. Steve Needham from Don’t Urbanise the Downs said: “Water is already a huge issue locally so Newhaven Council’s endorsement for the Ouse River Rights Charter is really significant. Residents here are already dealing with drought conditions and hosepipe bans, severe river pollution, over-abstraction from the chalk aquifers and regular flooding. The whole idea of building a new town here is absurd.
“Eton ’s spokesperson told us in person that they would “clean up” the stream if the town goes ahead but Eton has owned this land for over 20 years. It’s an absolute fiction that they care about the environment and local conservationists believe we are on the verge of an ecocide when it comes to the Ouse; it’s vital that we preserve and protect it.”
For more about the threat to the sea trout from numerous local housing developments, please see ITV’s report from earlier this year.