A short film outlining the case for giving rivers legal rights, and charting a May river walk to raise awareness, has been released.
River rights walk in May. Photo: Jonny Templeton
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The walk from Mansbridge to Cobden Bridge highlighted campaigners’ call for river rights in Southampton, across the UK and globally.
Gavin Millar from Friends of the Itchen Estuary said in the film that the River Itchen “is so special because it is a globally significant and ecologically fragile chalk stream of which there are very, very few in the world”.
Green Party councillor Kat Barbour (Portswood ward) explained: “In July 2025, Southampton City Council virtually unanimously passed a motion to protect the rights of the River Itchen and Test and the work for that is now being turned into a charter. So we're working on that with the community and we're here today supporting that work.”
The film explains ways people can get involved in developing the charter, directing viewers to the group's website for more information..
The 3.5-minute film ‘River Rights Southampton’, made by Global Documentary, can be viewed on YouTube.