River Anton Enhancement Strategy

A fine day out kate atherton The River Anton is a glittering chalk river which flows through the town of Andover in North West Hampshire. As a chalk river it has naturally high water quality and supports a huge number of plants and animals including otters, kingfishers and water voles. Chalk rivers are internationally rare due to the distribution of chalk across the globe and because of this, have been identified nationally as ‘priority habitats' for conservation.

All is not well with the river...

The Anton has been subject to modification and manipulation to accommodate various human requirements, such as powering mills. Although this has resulted in the loss and degradation of some habitats and a general reduction in water quality, there are still many reaches which are impressive examples of this valuable wildlife resource. Two contrasting reaches can easily be seen by looking at an urbanised section through Andover town centre and then as it flows through Rooksbury Mill Nature Reserve.

The project

riveranton steve williams Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust are working together with Test Valley Borough Council, the Environment Agency and Hampshire County Council on the River Anton Enhancement Strategy. The strategy was officially launched in October 2008. It sets out some of the key issues that need to be addressed together with some potential solutions for the protection, restoration, and enhancement of the River Anton.

What we hope to achieve...

The above organisations will be working with members of the public to record habitats and species which are in the area. This information will be compared with previous records and used to monitor the overall health of the river. Further work will be carried out to restore bank side habitat, including narrowing the channel, removing culverts, and improving public access.