A collaborative partnership led by Goodwood Estate and the Western Sussex Rivers Trust has been set up to restore and protect the stunning River Lavant, one of only 200 chalk streams left in the UK.
The chalk-filtered waters of the River Lavant carve a serene route through the peaceful villages of East Dean, Singleton, West Dean and Lavant, before winding their way around the city walls of historic Chichester and out to sea.
Once providing a precious habitat for a wealth of wildlife, the quality of water in the river is under threat due to sewage, abstraction and pollution.
Over recent decades the Lavant has been subject to a range of environmental pressures, including over pumping (sewage is removed from the pipework and sent into nearby waterways) at East Dean and Singleton - leading to the presence of sewage fungus, historical straightening and canalisation of the river, heavy surface water runoff and flash flooding exacerbated by steep slopes in the valley and development on the floodplain, and various pollution incidents. The river is also slowly eroding the road just upstream of Singleton village.
Sophia Llewelyn, Estate Project Manager at Goodwood explains how the Estate responded to growing concerns around the health of the river:
“When we noticed that the quality of the River Lavant was getting worse, around three years ago, we decided our first course of action was to speak to neighbouring landowners, West Dean Estate. Looking at the landscape and the various activities going on around the river, our initial discussions focused on recent flooding events, water quality and how we could look to adapt our land management to support the river.”
“Recognising that we needed further specialist guidance on restoring the river and improving long-term resilience to climate change, we contacted the Western Sussex Rivers Trust to explore opportunities for river restoration and sustainable land management interventions.”
With newly appointed Chalk Stream Resilience Officer, Kate Whitton, now in place, kindly funded by Chichester District Council, several site visits and engagement meetings across the river catchment area have taken place with representatives from the South Downs National Park Authority joining the group.
Kate explains how the site visits were able to identify priority areas for action:
“We’ve been able to identify the stretch of the river between East Dean and Singleton as the high impact area. Working with the tenant farmer John Holt and Goodwood farm manager, we have identified two potential restoration sites which offer clear opportunities to improve the water quality and potentially increase water retention in the landscape.”
River restoration specialists ‘For the Love of Water’ (FLOW) were appointed, kindly funded by Southern Water, and have developed an Options Appraisal, giving the partnership an insight into what type of restoration work could take place at this site.
Habitat surveys have also been carried out to establish a baseline for measuring the river condition and biodiversity in the area, and these will continue throughout the project along with environmental DNA testing and electrofishing surveys.
The group are now awaiting a detailed design drawing to be completed which will inform the project delivery phase, and an application for Community Infrastructure Levy funding to support the works has also been submitted, with a decision expected in autumn 2026.
Kate summarises the feeling within the partnership:
“It is fantastic to work with the Goodwood Estate on this ambitious project to restore these sections of the river Lavant. There have been many historical changes made to the river and it is exciting to plan and deliver this natural restoration in partnership with the landowners and managers.”
“Bringing together these different organisations enables us to draw on a wealth of expertise to help build a plan of action which will truly benefit the river for both wildlife and people.”
