Decision 45 COM 7B.177

The Great Spa Towns of Europe (Austria, Belgium, Czechia, France, Germany, Italy, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland) (C 1613)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/23/45.COM/7B.Add.2,
2. Recalling Decision 44 COM 8B.16 adopted at its extended 44th session (Fuzhou/online 2021),
3. Takes note of the progress made by the States Parties to revise the boundaries of Baden bei Wien and Montecatini Terme and to extend the buffer zones of Karlovy Vary and Vichy, and requests the States Parties to submit a minor modification to the boundaries of the property, in accordance with Paragraph 164 of the Operational Guidelines, as soon as all legal procedures to extend the buffer zone of Vichy are completed;
4. Also requests the States Parties to continue their efforts to strengthen the legal protection of Baden bei Wien, Montecatini Terme, Spa, Bad Ems and Bad Kissingen and to submit detailed maps showing the extent of the legal designations in place;
5. Reiterates its recommendation to extend and further detail the monitoring programme for the property as a whole;
6. Encourages the States Parties to continue their efforts to integrate impact assessment procedures into the management systems of all component parts, and to define the role and responsibilities of the Great Spas Management Board in these procedures as well as in the assessment of potential cumulative impacts arising from development projects in the component parts that is also consistent with 2011 Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape;
7. Further requests the State Party of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to implement the recommendations contained in the ICOMOS Technical Review of April 2023 on the redevelopment of the former Gasworks at the Bath component and to submit project plans for the redevelopment of the Rugby Stadium to the World Heritage Centre for review by ICOMOS;
8. Requests the States Parties to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 2024, an updated joint report on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the above, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 47th session.