Latest World Heritage News Stories from ICOMOS-UK

UK World Heritage Site profiles (coming soon)

World Heritage in the UK

The latest UK World Heritage Site is the Antonine Wall, inscribed on 8 July 2008.

There are currently 28 World Heritage Sites in the UK.

Map of UK World Heritage Sites

[More information about these sites coming soon]

ICOMOS has a special responsibility to UNESCO as an official adviser on cultural World Heritage Sites and ICOMOS-UK plays an essential role in advising on aspects of World Heritage and sites for nomination across the UK.

ICOMOS-UK is recognised by the Government as having special status in regard to World Heritage sites. This recognition is made manifest in planning policy guidance, which cites ICOMOS-UK as the consultative body for UK World Heritage sites.

The work of ICOMOS-UK is guided by ICOMOS and we abide by the ICOMOS World Heritage Mandate. This policy is designed to avoid situations where perceptions of conflict of interest may arise and those that raise questions concerning the validity of its professional opinions.

ICOMOS-UK is not a statutory consultee for planning applications relating to World Heritage sites in the UK, but we comment on major development proposals which we consider affect the Outstanding Universal Value of the World Heritage site. This part of our work is independent of our funders.

World Heritage Convention and ICOMOS

The World Heritage Convention, 1972, for the protection of the world’s cultural and natural heritage, recognises sites of ‘outstanding universal value’, which are part of the world’s heritage of mankind as a whole and deserve protection and transmission to future generations

ICOMOS provides the UNESCO World Heritage Committee with evaluations of cultural and mixed properties, which are proposed by State Parties for inscription on the World Heritage List.

The UNESCO World Heritage Committee is the statutory body responsible for decision-making on all matters related to the implementation of the World Heritage Convention. It meets once a year, in June, to:

• Select new properties for the World Heritage List from among those nominated by different countries
• Examine reports on the state of conservation of properties on the World Heritage List
• Allocate finances of the World Heritage Fund for properties in need of repair; for emergency action; for providing technical assistance and training; and for promotional and educational activities

Nomination of a World Heritage Site

Barge on Pontcysyllte Aquaduct and Canal, photo: Mike Sheldon

The UK government (state party) is responsible for submitting sites to be considered for inscription on the World Heritage List. The Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS), on behalf of the government is permitted to nominate one UK site per year from the government’s Tentative List. This list was last revised in 1999 and is being reviewed this year (2008).

The UK’s current nomination, which will be considered by the next World Heritage Committee in June 2009, is the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal.

World Heritage Centre

Current news, events and information about World Heritage is managed and presented by the UNESCO World Heritage Centre.

Frequently Asked Questions about World Heritage

Periodic Monitoring

Every six years, States Parties are invited to submit to the World Heritage Committee a periodic report on the application of the World Heritage Convention, including the state of conservation of the World Heritage properties located on its territories

The Committee adopts a regional approach to this process. In 2005-6 reports will be compiled for Europe and North America. This will cover 297 properties in 50 countries inscribed in and before 1999.

Read Reactive Monitoring Reports on UK World Heritage Sites submitted to UNESCO for consideration by the 32nd session of the World Heritage Committee in Quebec, Canada in July 2008.

Read ICOMOS-UK’s response to the consultation on the draft Planning Circular and English Heritage Guidance Notes on the protection of World Heritage Sites.