Wednesday 1 July 2015

Unesco Keep Liverpool On the World Heritage In Danger List. But They Are Losing Patience.


43. Liverpool – Maritime Mercantile City (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland)  (C 1150)
read here http://whc.unesco.org/archive/2015/whc15-39com-7A-en.pdf  No 43 page 82


Year of inscription on the World Heritage List 2004
Criteria (ii)(iii)(iv)
Year(s) of inscription on the List of World Heritage in Danger 2012-present
Threats for which the property was inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger
The proposed development of “Liverpool Waters” Desired state of conservation for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger In progress State of conservation of the properties WHC-15/39.COM/7A, p. 82 inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger Corrective measures identified In progress
 Timeframe for the implementation of the corrective measures

 In progress Previous Committee Decisions see page http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1150/documents/ International Assistance Requests approved: 0 Total amount approved: USD 0 For details, see page http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1150/assistance/ UNESCO extra-budgetary funds N/A Previous monitoring missions October 2006: joint World Heritage Centre / ICOMOS
 Reactive Monitoring mission; November 2011: joint World Heritage Centre / ICOMOS Reactive

Monitoring mission; February 2015: joint World Heritage Centre / ICOMOS Advisory mission

Factors affecting the property identified in previous reports
 • Lack of overall management of new developments • Lack of analysis and description of the townscape characteristics relevant to the Outstanding Universal Value of the property and important views related to the property and its buffer zone
 • Lack of clearly established maximum heights for new developments, for the backdrops of the World Heritage areas as well as along the waterfront
 • Lack of awareness of developers, building professionals and the wider public about the World Heritage property, its Outstanding Universal Value and requirements under the World Heritage Convention
• Commercial development • Housing
• Interpretative and visitation facilities • Management systems / management plan Illustrative material see page http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1150/ Current conservation issues On 26 January 2015, the
State Party submitted a state of conservation report, which is available at http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1150/documents/.
 The report addressed issues raised by the World Heritage Committee in relation to the Liverpool Waters development project and informed that all the authorities involved and the developer of the project have put in place measures to address the concerns raised by the Committee.
 The revision of the Management Plan, which is currently underway, is seen by the State Party as an opportunity to refresh the vision for the property as a whole.
 The report summarized the progress made in improving the state of conservation of the property through the repair and re-use of a number of outstanding historic buildings, previously at risk.
The ongoing revision of the Local Plan to update the necessary policies for the protection of the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) and the effort in promoting wider understanding of the World Heritage property are also mentioned.
 In addition, at the invitation of the State Party, a joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Advisory mission took place on 24-25 February 2015.
 The purpose of the mission was to undertake consultations with the State Party to see whether a final Desired state of conservation for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger (DSOCR) and corrective measures could be agreed.
The mission background was the first draft of the DSOCR prepared by the World Heritage Centre and ICOMOS and transmitted to the State Party on 29 April 2013, and a second draft prepared by the State Party on 15 April 2014 in coordination with and agreed by the property’s key stakeholders. ICOMOS considered this second DSOCR to be a ‘statement of process’, inconclusive as to the State of conservation of the properties
WHC-15/39.COM/7A, p. 83 inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger removal of threats to the property.
The Advisory mission report is also available at http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1150/documents.
Analysis and Conclusions of the World Heritage Centre,
 ICOMOS and ICCROM The Advisory mission confirmed that the serious concern of the
 World Heritage Committee over the potential threat of the Liverpool Waters development scheme on the OUV is recognized by all the authorities and stakeholders.
The mission considered that, while there had been a number of significant achievements in protecting the OUV of the property through adaptive reuse,
The City Council is yet to complete the comprehensive measures to eliminate the threats to the OUV; in particular, the issue of the mid- and high-rise buildings of the Liverpool Waters development project has yet to be resolved.
 At the current stage of the planning process, this can only be resolved with the pro-active negotiations of the three principal stakeholders (Liverpool City Council, the developer and English Heritage). As Liverpool Waters is a 30-year long-term development project, it is likely to become an evolving concept in response to changing contexts. Nonetheless, the mission noted that the design drawings are currently being understood as plans for implementation.
Concerning the Liverpool Waters development area (located partly within the property and partly in the buffer zone), the authorities reported that to date, no construction has started on site. No detailed planning consent will be submitted in 2015 for the Central Docks and no building activity should be initiated before 2016. After noting that there is a gap between the obligations of the State Party in safeguarding the OUV and the Liverpool City Council in addressing appropriate planning mechanisms, the mission recommended that, based on the fact that no detailed planning proposal will be submitted in 2015 for the Central Docks, the State Party should provide the World Heritage Centre with an amended DSOCR by 1 December 2015.
The amended DSOCR should be based on the World Heritage Centre’s and Advisory Bodies’ note from April 2013 and on the State Party’s reply of April 2014, and should clearly indicate:
 • Effective legal measures or public/private commitments to address the threats to the authenticity and integrity of the property and to ensure the conservation and protection of its OUV;
• Design drawings for the Liverpool Waters planning project redrawn as a three-dimensional programmatic envelope indicating minimum and maximum heights, and measures to reduce the urban density and the height of the buildings from the maximums granted for the Liverpool Waters project;
 • In the context of the Neighbourhood Master plans, a review of the mid-rise developments as well as the high rise in Central Docks to reduce heights and densities;
 • The timeframe to implement those measures and other conservation actions, identifying key indicators to control the progress in the proper actions;
• Proper initiatives to increase awareness.
The DSOCR should, moreover, provide comprehensive documentation concerning the management system to be put in place to integrate the public-private investment into a realistic planning process. It is recommended that the Committee retain the property on the List of World Heritage in Danger.
Draft Decision: 39 COM 7A.43 The World Heritage Committee,

 1.Having examined Document WHC-15/39.COM/7A,

 2. Recalling Decision 38 COM 7A.19, adopted at its 38th session (Doha, 2014),

3. Notes that a joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Advisory mission to the property took place in February 2015 at the invitation of the State Party, and that it confirmed State of conservation of the properties WHC-15/39.COM/7A, p. 84 inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger that all stakeholders recognize the serious concerns of the World Heritage Committee over the potential threat of the Liverpool Waters development scheme to the Outstanding Universal Value of the property;

4. Endorses the conclusions of this 2015 Advisory mission, in particular the need to reduce the urban density and height of the proposed development from the maximums granted for the Liverpool Waters project;

 5. Urges the State Party to implement the mission’s recommendations for the revision of the draft Desired State of Conservation for the Removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger (DSOCR) as a matter of priority;

6. Requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 2015, an amended DSOCR, for review by the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies;

 7. Also requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2016, an updated report, including a 1-page executive summary, on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the above, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 40th session in 2016;

8. Decides to retain Liverpool – Maritime Mercantile City (United Kingdom of GreatBritain and Northern Ireland) on the List of World Heritage in Danger



It is hard to think that the corrupted Liverpool (dead man walking) Echo ignores the facts on behalf of Joe "Il Duce" Anderson and prints nothing about it.

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