Take advantage of the search to browse through the World Heritage Centre information.

i
ii
iii
iv
v
vi
vii
viii
ix
x

New Lanark

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Factors affecting the property in 2014*
  • Housing
  • Quarrying
International Assistance: requests for the property until 2014
Requests approved: 0
Total amount approved : 0 USD
Missions to the property until 2014**
Conservation issues presented to the World Heritage Committee in 2014

On 28 March 2014, the State Party provided a state of conservation report (available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/429/documents) on two planning applications located in the buffer zone and in the wider setting of the property: the Pleasance Housing proposal and the extension of the Hyndford Quarry.

Over the last year, local and national NGOs had been expressing concern at potential adverse impacts of both projects on the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property. Upon request, the State Party had provided updated information about the planning applications, which was reviewed by ICOMOS and its comments were provided to the State Party in October 2013.

  • Pleasance Housing proposal: On 7 February 2013, the State Party informed the World Heritage Centre about a planning application for a housing development in the buffer zone on a 5 ha site located 1 km north-west of the property. On 7 December 2013, the planning application for this housing development was granted permission in outline and in principle by South Lanarkshire Council (accessible at http://pbsportal.southlanarkshire.gov.uk/Northgate/PlanningExplorerv17/GeneralSearch.aspx reference CL/12/0201). The Pleasance Housing proposal consists of two parts, one on the low-lying site of existing commercial buildings, the other on a more prominent green field site which appears to be visible from a number of locations within the property. Following Historic Scotland’s previous objections regarding the project’s potential adverse impact on the OUV of the property, the State Party reported that consultations on mitigation measures have been taken up with South Lanarkshire Council and that Historic Scotland (the State Party’s Advisor for World Heritage properties in Scotland) is confident that solutions will be found to mitigate adverse impact through layout and design. The State Party did not provide a Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) for this project.
  • Hyndford Quarry: On 29 November 2011, the company Cemex submitted an application for permission to extend sand and gravel extraction in two areas of Hyndford Quarry, situated to the south-east of the property outside the buffer zone; the proposed western extension of the quarry would introduce 17 hectares of quarry operations into the buffer zone of the property, which also corresponds to the nationally protected Falls of Clyde Designed Landscape. The application is accessible at http://pbsportal.southlanarkshire.gov.uk/Northgate/PlanningExplorerv17/GeneralSearch.aspx reference CL/12/0525 and was assessed as not impacting on the property’s OUV by Historic Scotland, but has raised substantial opposition from local and national NGOs. However, all parties, including Historic Scotland, consider that the application would affect the Falls of Clyde Designed Landscape. On 29 January 2014, the Scottish ministers decided to call-in the application due to the perceived potential impact after the planning authority notified the Scottish government of its intention to grant permission (accessible at http://news.scotland.gov.uk/News/Quarry-plan-called-in-8c6.aspx). Currently, a pre-examination and a subsequent hearing or inquiry will be carried out in view of a recommendation to ministers by autumn 2014, based on which a formal decision will be made.
Analysis and Conclusion by World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies in 2014

It is recalled that the OUV of the property emphasizes the contribution of Robert Owen’s philosophy of industrial towns being developed within sublime landscapes, and that the buffer zone was therefore acknowledged as providing an essential setting for the property, through the way it illustrates the importance of locating factories in healthy and inspirational places. This vital component for the OUV of the property is also acknowledged in the Management Plan, stating that the setting is protected from threats from housing development and further quarrying by adequate planning controls.

It is noted that Historic Scotland advised not to grant permission to the planning application of Pleasance Housing as originally proposed, and that it considers the Hyndford Quarry extension to be detrimental to the nationally protected Falls of Clyde Designed Landscape while also considering that its impact on the property’s OUV and setting would be insufficient to merit objection. It is further noted that the two proposed development projects in the property’s buffer zone have received significant objections by civil society, and that the Hyndford Quarry extension project has been called-in for examination by the responsible ministers.

Neither of the planning applications has been subject to a HIA. It is considered that the potential for adverse impact on the property and its setting from these projects, and particularly from the quarry extension, is such that it is recommended that the Committee express its concern about the potential adverse impacts on the OUV of the property. It is also recommended that the Committee request the State Party to suspend any further decisions on the two planning applications to allow for the elaboration of HIAs and their submission to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies.

Decisions adopted by the Committee in 2014
38 COM 7B.37
New Lanark (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland) (C 429rev)

The World Heritage Committee,

  1. Having examined Document WHC-14/38.COM/7B.Add,
  2. Notes the report submitted by the State Party on two planning applications for the Pleasance Housing proposals and the extension of the Hyndford Quarry;
  3. Expresses its concern about the potential adverse impacts of the Hyndford Quarry extension and Pleasance Housing projects on the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the World Heritage property and its buffer zone;
  4. Requests the State Party to suspend any further decisions on the planning applications for Hyndford Quarry and Pleasance Housing to allow for the elaboration of heritage impact assessments for each of the development projects, and also notes the decision of the ministers to call-in the planning application for Hyndford Quarry for scrutiny through an inquiry or hearing before their final decision;
  5. Also requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre as soon as available the Heritage Impact Assessments for the Hyndford Quarry extension and Pleasance Housing projects, elaborated in accordance with the ICOMOS Guidance;
  6. Encourages the State Party to take up consultations with the Advisory Bodies and the World Heritage Centre regarding adequate modifications to the projects as currently proposed, and to consider inviting an ICOMOS advisory mission to the property to review the potential adverse impacts of the Pleasance Housing and Hyndford Quarry projects as well as the overall state of conservation of the property and its buffer zone, before further decisions are made;
  7. Further requests the State Party to notify the World Heritage Centre of any decision or development on the above matters as soon as available and to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 2015, 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.
Draft Decision:   38 COM 7B.37

The World Heritage Committee,

  1. Having examined Document WHC-14/38.COM/7B.Add,
  2. Notes the report submitted by the State Party on two planning applications for the Pleasance Housing proposals and the extension of the Hyndford Quarry;
  3. Expresses its concern about the potential adverse impacts of the Hyndford Quarry extension and Pleasance Housing projects on the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the World Heritage property and its buffer zone;
  4.  Requests the State Party to suspend any further decisions on the planning applications for Hyndford Quarry and Pleasance Housing to allow for the elaboration of heritage impact assessments for each of the development projects, and also notes the decision of the ministers to call-in the planning application for Hyndford Quarry for scrutiny through an inquiry or hearing before their final decision;
  5. Also requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre as soon as available the Heritage Impact Assessments for the Hyndford Quarry extension and Pleasance Housing projects, elaborated in accordance with the ICOMOS Guidance;
  6. Encourages the State Party to take up consultations with the Advisory Bodies and the World Heritage Centre regarding adequate modifications to the projects as currently proposed, and to consider inviting an ICOMOS advisory mission to the property to review the potential adverse impacts of the Pleasance Housing and Hyndford Quarry projects as well as the overall state of conservation of the property and its buffer zone, before further decisions are made;
  7. Further requests the State Party to notify the World Heritage Centre of any decision or development on the above matters as soon as available and 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.

 

Report year: 2014
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Date of Inscription: 2001
Category: Cultural
Criteria: (ii)(iv)(vi)
Documents examined by the Committee
SOC Report by the State Party
Report (2014) .pdf
arrow_circle_right 38COM (2014)
Exports

* : The threats indicated are listed in alphabetical order; their order does not constitute a classification according to the importance of their impact on the property.
Furthermore, they are presented irrespective of the type of threat faced by the property, i.e. with specific and proven imminent danger (“ascertained danger”) or with threats which could have deleterious effects on the property’s Outstanding Universal Value (“potential danger”).

** : All mission reports are not always available electronically.


top