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 City of Bath World Heritage Site 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 went out to public consultation in March and April 2003 and the comments received have now been assessed and incorporated where necessary into the draft Plan. The Management Plan is now put forward with the Steering Group's recommendation to the Council Executive for adoption, and publication in the autumn 2003.

2 RECOMMENDATION

2.1 That the document titled City of Bath World Heritage Site Management Plan is adopted by the Council, approved for publication and that officers are instructed to send the document to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport for their approval prior to publication. The Executive is asked to delegate authority to the officers to make such minor amendments to the text as is necessary during the course of document design and preparation for publication.

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3 FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

3.1 The Management Plan has a six-year life-span and requires the employment of a co-ordinator, without which the Programme of Actions within the Plan will not be implemented. The Council Executive needs to recognise the requirement for funding, in whole or in part, the appointment of a co-ordinating officer for the six-year life of the Plan (see also 4.8 below). Approximate salary costs would be £30,000 per annum. Apart from the employment of an officer, co-ordination of the Programme of Actions within the Management Plan can be covered by existing budgets (extra funding for individual projects may be applied for should they arise). Publication costs (including document design and printing) will be met from existing budgets, including grant funding from English Heritage.

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. Planning Policy Guidance Note PPG15, Planning and the Historic Environment also encourages local authorities to produce management plans for World Heritage Sites within their boundaries.

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 PPG15. 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 and also in March 2003 to discuss the consultation draft.

4.4 Public consultation was held throughout March and April 2003. The Management Plan was available for public consultation at libraries and council offices across the district of Bath & North East Somerset. An exhibition toured the district libraries during the consultation period and the Project Officer attended the exhibition for two half-days each week. The Management Plan was also be available for both internal and external consultation via the Council's website. Copies of the Management Plan were sent to all members of the Stakeholder group (including parish councils), to the partner organisations represented on the Steering Group and to all the ward councillors in Bath, plus those immediately surrounding the city. The comments received were assessed and where necessary changes were made to the draft Plan, approved by the Steering Group. In addition, a summary of the Management Plan was widely available.

4.5 The Management Plan aims to provide a framework to conserve the cultural heritage assets of the City of Bath World Heritage Site. 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.

4.6 The Management Plan outlines 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 six to ten years by a variety of partner organisations, co-ordinated by a World Heritage Site Co-ordinator (see 3.1).

4.7 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.

4.8 An outline for implementation of the City of Bath World Heritage Site Management Plan is given in Section 4 of the Plan itself, and includes an officer to co-ordinate the activities of the many partners who will be working to achieve the objectives and actions. The implementation officer will also be responsible for raising the additional funding that will be required to carry out many of the actions.

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