Issue - meetings

The report sets out details of the draft City of Bath and Great Spa Towns of Europe World Heritage Site Management Plan (2024-2030) and seeks endorsement of the Management Plan for public consultation.

(Note:  At this point Cllr Dave Wood joined the meeting).

Cllr Matt McCabe, Cabinet Member for Built Environment, Housing and Sustainable Development introduced the report, moved the officer recommendation, and made the following points:

·  The City of Bath is unique in the UK. Of all the extraordinary 1,223 World Heritage Sites across the world that possess outstanding universal value, i.e. that UNESCO believes are valuable to the whole of humanity, Bath is one of only 22 inscribed twice. The first inscription, the City of Bath (1987), is for the entire city and its green setting, whilst the second is as part of a group of 11 Great Spa Towns of Europe (2021).

·  A UNESCO World Heritage Site (WHS) requires a Management Plan to ensure that as custodians of this heritage and its values, we preserve and enhance it for future generations.

·  The Plan’s purpose is to show how we will manage the WHS in a way that safeguards its outstanding universal values and attributes; it describes what the site consists of, why it is of global significance, how its managed, what challenges it faces and how these will be addressed.

·  Cllr McCabe outlined the headline priorities set out within the Plan and explained how these aligned with the Council’s Corporate Strategy.  He thanked all the members of the World Advisory Board and other key stakeholders for their help.  He also thanked officers for their work in preparing the draft Plan.

·  The eight-week consultation period will commence on 25^th November.

Cllr Manda Rigby seconded the motion and thanked the many private individuals who own property and maintain it to a very high standard which contributes to Bath’s heritage appeal.  She stated that the Management Plan seeks to preserve and conserve our heritage, whilst acknowledging that Bath is a thriving city, in which each generation or period makes its own mark.

Cllr Sarah Warren welcomed the fact that the Climate Emergency is newly listed as one of the key priorities within the Plan.  The Plan supports the ongoing evolution of our heritage buildings to support sympathetic retrofit of renewable energy and energy efficiency measures, which represents a continuation of their evolution since the time of their construction to the present day. The Council will also be introducing a Local Listed Building Consent Order to facilitate the installation of solar panels on listed buildings.  Cllr Warren was also pleased that the Plan recognises the importance of nature recovery as one of its priorities as well as the need to rethink transport provision in our historic city that was designed and built before the motor car.

RESOLVED (unanimously):

(1)  To endorse the draft City of Bath and Great Spa Towns of Europe World Heritage Site Management Plan (2024-2030) for formal public engagement.

(2)  To agree the approach to public engagement as set out in the report.