COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL
GOVERNMENT News Release (123) issued by The Government News Network
on 27 May 2008
The nation's
most important historical landmarks are to receive greater
protection than ever before, Communities Minister Baroness Andrews
announced today.
The Government is taking action to protect all 17 English World
Heritage Sites, which include the Tower of London, Hadrian's
Wall, the Ironbridge Gorge, Maritime Greenwich and Durham Castle.
For the first time the government wants to put all English World
Heritage Sites on the same national footing as its conservation
areas, national parks and areas of outstanding beauty by including
them in national planning protection rules.
World Heritage status is only granted by United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) for
major world cultural and natural heritage locations considered to
have outstanding universal value. The UNESCO World Heritage
Committee will meet in July to review new and existing sites.
Currently over half of our World Heritage Sites are not in
previously protected conservation areas. The changes which are
being consulted on will prevent minor development occurring
without specific planning permission. Seemingly minor changes such
as roof alterations, new buildings nearby or artificial stoning
could when added together have a devastating impact on a World
Heritage Site.
This will mean that the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape,
the most recently recognised site which is particularly
vulnerable, will be covered for the first time. The development
controls are also extended across Stonehenge, Blenheim Palace, the
City of Bath, Christchurch College in Canterbury, the Dorset and
Devon 'Jurassic' Coast, Derwent Valley Mills and Lime
Street Station in Liverpool.
In addition English Heritage is publishing guidance today that
gives detailed advice on how to give proper consideration and
protections to World Heritage Sites.
Communities Minister, Baroness Andrews said:
"Britain has a unique heritage with many famous buildings
and landmarks stretching from Stonehenge to the Royal Botanic
Gardens. We want to ensure that our historic buildings and
landmarks and our cultural treasures are preserved for current and
future generations.
"We are changing the planning rules to give all English
World Heritage Sites the best protection from potentially damaging
developments that could threaten the authenticity, accessibility
and charm or character of our most important places."
Dr Christopher Young, Head of World Heritage and International
Policy for English Heritage, said:
"One of the significant threats faced by World Heritage
Sites in England is the incremental damage to those that fall
outside of the protection provided by conservation areas, national
parks or areas of outstanding natural beauty. We welcome that this
destructive anomaly that threatens these few vulnerable sites has
now been addressed by the planning system. This new planning
circular will offer the basic protection that should be expected
for sites of such outstanding international importance.
"As important as providing planning protection for these
sites is the inclusion of expert guidance on the protection and
enhancement of their universal value. The supplementary advice
provided by English Heritage is guided by our published
Conservation Principles and will make sure that England has some
of the most beautiful, historically important and competently
cared-for sites in the world."
The Government has already consulted this year on whether all
major planning applications on World Heritage Sites should
automatically be considered for a national 'call-in' decision.
The planning system already provides the strongest rules ever for
heritage sites. However, the government is committed to
protecting places in Britain of real historical importance which
is why the Department of Culture, Media and Sport has published
the first Heritage Bill in 30 years.
The bill will seek to unify heritage protection regimes, devolve
decisions to English Heritage with greater public involvement and
place heritage at the heart of the planning system. Planning is
central to the government programme of heritage reform which is
creating a clear and effective policy that seeks to protect our
national assets from inappropriate development.
Notes to Editor
1. The Planning circular consultation extending Article 1 (5)
coverage of World Heritage Sites will recognise the need to
protect World Heritage Sites in national policy, and introduce a
legislative change giving planning authorities greater control
over certain small-scale types of development such as artificial
cladding or the installation of dormer windows. This sort of
development could, on a cumulative basis, erode the outstanding
universal value of a World Heritage Site. Consultation available
at: http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/planningandbuilding/worldheritagesitesconsultation
2. The government is consulting on proposals to enhance WHS ahead
of the UN World Heritage Committee's meeting in Quebec in
July to review new and existing sites.
3. World Heritage Sites are created by UNESCO with the aim of
identifying and protecting sites of outstanding universal value
that transcend national barriers. The current list of 851 sites
includes forests, mountains, lakes, deserts, monuments, buildings,
complexes and cities.
4. The 17 English sites are as followed (date of inscription by
UNESCO in brackets): Durham Castle and Cathedral (1986),
Ironbridge Gorge (1986), Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites
(1986), Studley Royal Park including the Ruins of Fountains Abbey
(1986), Blenheim Palace (1987), City of Bath (1987), Frontiers of
the Roman Empire (Hadrian's Wall) (1987), Westminster Palace,
Westminster Abbey and St Margaret's Church (1987), Canterbury
Cathedral, St Augustine's Abbey and St Michael's Church
(1988), Tower of London (1988), Maritime Greenwich (1997), Derwent
Valley Mills (2001), Dorset and East Devon 'Jurassic'
Coast (2001), Saltaire (2001), Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (2003),
Liverpool - Maritime Mercantile City (2004); Cornwall and West
Devon Mining Landscape (2006).
5. The United Kingdom ratified the 1972 UNESCO Convention
concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural
Heritage in 1984. Details of the UNESCO Convention can be found at http://whc.unesco.org/en/convention
6. The Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World
Heritage Convention 2005, which include guidance on the protection
and management of WHS, are published by UNESCO and can be found at http://whc.unesco.org/en/guidelines
7. The new proposals follow commitments made in the 2007 White
Paper 'Heritage Protection for the 21st Century',
published by the Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS).
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