A measure of the extent and complexity of riprian vegetation upstream of chalkstream sites derived from Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data for 15 discrete chalkstreams distributed along a white chalk geology extending from Dorset in the south west, through Wiltshire, to Hampshire in the north east. For each site there is an estimate of the minimum, maximum, mean and standard deviation height of vegetation along the banks for a range of distances upstream from the sampling location. Information on the extent and complexity of riparian vegetation upstream of chalkstream sites were used to better understand the relationships between in-stream biological communities and catchment and riparian land use. Stream sites surveyed represented a sample of chalkstreams across a gradient of catchment land cover intensification from catchments dominated by extensive calcareous grassland and woodland to those dominated by arable and improved grasslands. LiDAR data were obtained from the Environment Agency in April 2014. This dataset was created as part of work package 3.1 of the Wessex Biodiversity & Ecosystem Service Sustainability (BESS) project. Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/49792936-9f11-4df6-98b3-9a9de595ee69