World Heritage Sites are places of outstanding universal value to all humanity and are of great importance for the conservation of mankind's cultural and natural heritage. They need to be preserved for future generations, as part of a common universal heritage.
World Heritage status can bring enormous prestige to a site and help foster social cohesion and pride in a local community. It may help to promote the site internationally and attract new visitors, if appropriate, and encourages the highest quality standards for welcoming visitors and managing the site and can act as the focus for tourism and economic regeneration. It also means international accountability. If a site is threatened, it can be added to the 'List of World Heritage in Danger' by the World Heritage Committee.
The World Heritage Convention was established in 1972 by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation). By signing up to the Convention, national governments commit themselves to identify, protect, conserve, present and transmit their World Heritage Sites to future generations. The World Heritage List set up by the Convention includes natural sites, cultural sites and mixed sites.
In 2010, there were 911 World Heritage Sites, including 28 in the UK and overseas territories. Examples around the world include the Pyramids, Machu Picchu, the Victoria Falls, the Great Barrier Reef, the historic centre of Florence and the Frontiers of the Roman Empire including Hadrian's Wall. For a trip around the World Heritage Sites across the globe, visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site website.
NOMINATION PROCESS
To get World Heritage status, sites have to be nominated by their government to the World Heritage Committee, an intergovernmental body set up by UNESCO. The Committee meets once a year and decides on new inscriptions following an assessment by specialist international bodies: ICOMOS for cultural sites and IUCN for natural sites.
Improved protection and management of World Heritage Sites
The protection of a World Heritage Site is the responsibility of national governments, working with the local authorities and stakeholders. To ensure that all World Heritage Sites are managed in a sustainable way each nomination must be accompanied by a World Heritage Site Management Plan, developed by a Steering group.
Such plans help ensure the preservation of the site by establishing a framework for decision making. They identify opportunities and long-term objectives. All UK sites have Management Plans in place. In addition, governments submit a periodic report to UNESCO every six years on the state of conservation of World Heritage Sites in their territory.
Planning Implications
In the UK, World Heritage Sites (WHS) are protected primarily through designation and through the planning system. PPS5, Circular 07/09 'Protection of World Heritage Sites in England' and the guidance accompanying both documents, set out the importance of World Heritage Sites, their settings and buffer zone if applicable and the key role of Local Planning Authorities in the protection of World Heritage Sites through the conservation and preservation of their Outstanding Universal Value.
Planning Authorities should have appropriate policies to protect World Heritage Sites in their plans and play an active part in Steering Groups and World Heritage Site Management Plan development and revision. Some policies in World Heritage Site Management Plans are key material considerations that the Government expects Planning Authorities to take fully into account when making Plans and planning decisions.
The implementation of the WHS Management Plan relies on the effective co-operation of the stakeholders. These work most effectively when a co-ordinator is employed. At Stonehenge, the WHS Management Plan was adopted as Supplementary Planning Guidance by Salisbury District Council, and there is a WHS Policy in the Local Plan. Planning Authorities are encouraged to adopt their Management Plans or elements of them
World Heritage Sites are from 1 October 2008 article 1(5) land which means that certain types of permitted development are not allowed. From 20 April 2009 changes to the Call In regulations in England mean that where Planning Authorities wish to issue consent for proposals that English Heritage considers will harm the Outstanding Universal Value including integrity, authenticity and significance of a World Heritage Site or its setting (including any buffer zone) and English Heritage is unable to resolve that objection, the Planning Authority must then refer the application to the Secretary of State to see if the Secretary of State wishes the application to be determined at national rather than local level.
New Partnerships and Projects
The process of developing a Management Plan involves bringing together all the key stakeholders to agree a common vision for the future of the site. As a result, working links are reinforced and new projects emerge. At Stonehenge, over 70 organisations and individuals were involved in this process and Hadrian's Wall unites over 53 different authorities.
World Heritage status may also make it easier to negotiate additional funding, protection or expertise. For instance, at Stonehenge and Avebury, a special grant scheme was put in place following the publication of the WHS Management Plans.
It encourages farmers to convert arable land to grassland for the benefit of the archaeological landscape, the setting of Stonehenge and biodiversity. It was made possible thanks to an exemplary partnership between English Heritage, the National Trust, Natural England and the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
