Meeting documents

1 THE ISSUE

1.1 The whole city of Bath was inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 1987 and is recognised as a place of universal significance, needing to be protected and conserved for this and future generations. Under the terms of the UNESCO 1972 Convention concerning the protection of the world cultural and natural heritage, which the UK central government are signatories to; the UNESCO 1999 Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention; and, the policies of the UK central government's Department for Culture, Media and Sport, there is a requirement to prepare and publish a management plan for the World Heritage Site of Bath by autumn 2003.

1.2 Since September 2001, a dedicated project officer has been preparing the Management Plan, working under the guidance of a partnership Steering Group and in consultation with an internal Bath & North East Somerset Council cross-service Officer Working Group and an external Stakeholder group. The funding of the project, including production of the Management Plan and employment of the project officer, are shared by Bath & North East Somerset Council and English Heritage. The Management Plan is now put forward to the Executive as a draft to go out to public consultation.

2 RECOMMENDATION

2.1 That the document titled draft City of Bath World Heritage Site Management Plan is approved for public consultation as set out in section 4.7.

Printed on recycled paper

3 FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

3.1 Public consultation will entail exhibition and printing costs. These will be met from existing allocated budgets. The salary cost of the project officer's contract from March to November, to carry out the consultation and take the Management Plan through to publication, is approximately £15,000.

4 THE REPORT

4.1 Preparation of a World Heritage Site Management Plan is a requirement of the UK Government, and is recommended by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee as the best way to ensure the survival of World Heritage Sites for future generations.

4.2 The Management Plan is to be used in conjunction with the adopted 1997 Bath Local Plan and the 2002 deposit draft Bath & North East Somerset Local Plan, which provide the statutory protection for the World Heritage Site as laid down in the Planning Policy Guidance Note PPG15, Planning and the Historic Environment. PPG15 states that the status of World Heritage Site is a key material consideration in planning decisions. A specific World Heritage Site policy to this effect is included in section 12 'Care of the Fabric' of the 1997 Bath Local Plan and section C3 'The Built and Historic Environment' of the 2002 deposit draft Bath & North East Somerset Local Plan.

4.3 The City of Bath World Heritage Site Management Plan has been prepared as a partnership document to reflect the wide variety of interests who own, manage, protect or impact upon the World Heritage Site. A Steering Group of local and national organisations has guided the preparation of the Management Plan, and the document has been prepared in consultation with an internal cross-service Officer Working Group. An external group of Stakeholders was identified at the beginning of the project to feed into the preparation of the Management Plan. The Stakeholders represent the diverse range of interests in the city and have so far met twice (December 2000 and June 2002) to input their knowledge into the preparation of specific sections of the Management Plan.

4.4 The Management Plan aims to provide a framework to conserve the cultural heritage assets of the World Heritage Site of Bath. This wide remit includes protection and enhancement of the architectural, archaeological, landscape and natural assets and their urban and landscape settings; improving understanding of the Site, its interpretation and use as an educational resource; and, supporting the local community in its cultural, social and economic vitality.

4.5 The Management Plan will outline the main issues that challenge the World Heritage Site and the potential opportunities of that status. These issues will be addressed through a series of objectives and actions, to be carried out over the next five to ten years by a variety of partner organisations.

4.6 The framework provided by the Management Plan will be a significant resource for a wide range of individuals and organisations, including: historic property or site owners; heritage organisations; local businesses; councillors; council officers; developers; and anyone involved in the management of the historic environment of the city and its landscape setting.

4.7 The draft City of Bath World Heritage Site Management Plan will be available for public consultation at libraries and council offices across the district of Bath & North East Somerset. It will also be available for both internal and external consultation via the Council's website. Copies of the Management Plan will be sent to all members of the Stakeholder group (including parish councils) and to the partner organisations represented on the Steering Group. An exhibition will be held in Bath and notification of the consultation period and the availability of the document will be aimed at residents, workers and visitors to the city. The consultation period will run from 3 March to 25 April 2003.

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This version was printed 27-Jan-03 11:23 a23/p23