A major restoration project is underway to revive the River Lavant
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, in recent decades the health of the Lavant has suffered greatly due to pollution from sewage and road run-off, abstraction of water from the aquifer that feeds the river, and climate change leading to drought conditions. The Lavant has also been re-routed and straightened over time. This kind of physical modification to our rivers is the number one reason why so many are failing to reach good health.
The Goodwood Estate, Chichester District Council and Southern Water, working together with the Western Sussex Rivers Trust, have now come together to tackle these issues, and help the River Lavant thrive again.
Together we’re restoring 1.3km of the Lavant and 16.6ha of floodplain by improving natural processes and re-naturalising the form of the river, reconnecting the floodplain and planting 200 trees. There’ll be lots of opportunities for the community to get involved, as well as local schools. The project is taking place in fields by East Dean and between Charlton and Singleton.
The project aims to:
Re-naturalise the river
The Lavant has been straightened over time and pushed towards the boundary of its floodplain. Across both sites, there is potential to realign the river channel to create a more natural, sinuous form and restore processes that take place in a natural river, such as the creation of meanders.
Reconnect the river to its floodplain
There is an pportunity to reconnect the river with its floodplain, allowing seasonal rewetting to restore natural processes and support diverse floodplain habitats. Currently, floodplain connectivity occurs only during high flows. We want to make better use of the natural floodplain to store water within the landscape. By creating small ponds, scrapes, and wetland features within Goodwood's and Holt's fields, water can be held back during periods of heavy rainfall rather than rapidly flowing downstream towards villages and towns. This will increase the land's capacity to store water, potentially reducing flood pressure on local communities, and create valuable wetland habitats.
Reduce pollution
The Lavant has historically been rerouted adjacent to the road, probably for drainage. Water washing off roads takes with it a toxic mix of chemicals into the river which has severe impact for wildlife. In realigning the channel we can prevent the contaminants entering the water, instead creating treatment interceptors to naturally deal with these pollutants.
Improve Water Quality
By reducing pollution and contamination and increasing oxygen levels within the water, we can create better conditions for aquatic life. Cleaner water will help strengthen the river ecosystem and support a wider range of plants and animals both in and around the river corridor.
Restore and Enhance Biodiversity
eDNA surveys and electrofishing studies have shown that species diversity in the Lavant is relatively low. Through habitat restoration, we hope to create a thriving environment that can support everything from water voles to rare chalk stream specialists such as the Winterbourne Stonefly and the Scarce Summer Mayfly, both of which have previously been recorded in studies carried out by Nottingham University. The habitat around the river will be improved too, with many trees being planted. This also helps to make the stream more climate resilient, cooling the river.
Reduce Local Flood Risk
By allowing water to spread across parts of the floodplain during high-flow events, the project aims to slow the movement of water through the catchment. This natural approach can help reduce the severity of flash flooding and lessen the impact on downstream communities.
Improve Water Supply
Holding more water within the landscape also benefits local water resources. By giving rainfall time to soak into the ground and recharge the underlying chalk aquifer, the project can help strengthen water supplies during dry periods. This is particularly important in summer, when rainfall is often limited but demand for water is at its highest.
Education and Community Engagement
The restoration of the landscape will create opportunities for education, engagement, and environmental awareness. We hope that local communities, schools, and visitors will be able to see first-hand how natural river processes work and experience the return of wildlife and healthy river habitats. By involving people in the project, we can help build a greater understanding of the importance of rivers, wetlands, and functioning ecosystems.
