Historic Centre of Lima

• Fires in 1998 and 2001 (issue resolved)
• Management systems/ management plan (formalization of the procedures to set up a Management Coordination Unit to implement the Strategic Plan; revision of the Master and Strategic Plans)
• Housing
• New development projects within the Historic Centre including urban transportation systems (Corredor Segregado and subway system) and interventions in historical buildings
• Ground transport infrastructure (development of the cable car project for tourism purposes)
• Management activities (unsuitable interventions)

N/A

On 12 December 2022, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report, which is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/500/documents/. Progress in a number of conservation issues addressed by the Committee at its previous sessions is presented in this report, as follows:

• In 2020, the responsibility for the High-Capacity Segregated Corridor (COSAC) project, was transferred from the Lima Municipality to the Lima and Callao Transport Authority (ATU). The Municipal Programme for the Recovery of the Historic Centre of Lima (PROLIMA), is developing a project for the insertion of the stations located in the historic centre;
• The Lima and Callao Transport Authority (ATU) submitted a Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) for preparatory works for the construction of the central station along Metro line 2. This was approved by the Ministry of Culture and the Municipality. The temporary removal of five monumental sculptures in the construction area of the central station is yet to be approved. A HIA for the construction of the station itself was evaluated by the Ministry of Culture, but no final project has been approved for the insertion of the station and the ventilation shafts in the urban context. PROLIMA submitted a preliminary proposal to the Ministry of Culture;
• The Metro line 3 project is still under development and the ATU has been advised that HIA studies are required;
• PROLIMA is developing the mitigation programme for the Linea within the framework of the Special Landscape Project of the Rimac River;
• Since the Master Plan was approved in 2019, several programmes and activities are being implemented including risk management and preventive actions, archaeological interventions, restoration of monuments, creation of pedestrian areas, social development and intangible heritage, housing recovery, recovery of public spaces and promotion of tourism;
• The Special Landscape Project of the Rimac River, was initiated in 2020 and aims to regenerate this deteriorated hydrological, urban, and historical landscape;
• At the Convent of San Francisco complex, the restoration of the façade of the Soledad church was completed. A similar project was prepared for the remaining facades of the San Francisco church and convent and is pending agreement of the Franciscan order. The recuperation of the square was initiated with the demolition of the perimeter fence that was constructed in 1987 but further works will be revised in accordance with the recommendations of the ICOMOS Technical review of March 2022;
• The Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism is preparing a new project for a cable car to the Cerro San Cristobal that will depart from the end of the Alameda de los Descalzos. The project is pending approval;
• A minor boundary modification is submitted as part of the report;
• In 2021, the Congress of Peru declared the recovery of the Historic Centre of Lima to be of national interest and proposed the creation of an inter-ministerial and inter-institutional Special Commission that will oversee the implementation of the Master Plan.

Upon the invitation of the State Party, ICOMOS undertook an Advisory mission from 21 to 25 November 2022. The mission report is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/500/documents/. While confirming the recommendations of the World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Advisory mission of 2017, the main findings of the mission are presented below.

The mission stressed the need for an integrated strategy for motorised vehicles, the elimination of parking lots in the inner city and the insertion of mass transportation systems and their infrastructure within the property, both at and below the street level through appropriate HIAs and mitigation measures. Regrettably, the HIAs for the High-Capacity Segregated Corridor (COSAC), have not been concluded. Along Metro line 2, there remains an urgent need for HIAs at the central station, the ventilation shafts of Plaza Bolognesi and Avenida de la República and all other components of this metro line. The plans for Metro Line 3 are still under development while the Linea Amarilla is very much advanced and operational including the tunnel under the Rimac River. It is noted that for the latter no HIA was prepared. There is an abundant presence of parking lots in the central and pedestrian streets. The construction of underground parking facilities such as Chabuca Granda could solve this problem.

Important progress has been made in the implementation of the Master Plan of the Historic Centre of Lima to 2029 with vision to 2035, and its Single Regulation for the Administration of the Historic Centre of Lima, under the management and guidance of PROLIMA. This is particularly noted in Strategic Axis I (Historic Urban Landscapes), in the recovery of urban spaces, restoration of important historic monuments and facades, research and monitoring of the property, risk management and archaeological research. Nevertheless, the remaining Axis II (Liveable and attractive centre with better housing conditions) and Axis III (Metropolitan centre with a traditional and cultural character) need to be addressed in a more integrated approach, through a broad Socio-Economic Development Plan.

Management capacities need to be strengthened through inter-ministerial, inter-institutional and regional cooperation, the preparation of a Management Plan, the designation of an autonomous management authority, for which it is recommended to designate PROLIMA and the improvement of participation and representation through working groups that are foreseen in the Master Plan should be envisaged.

The Special Landscape Project of the Rimac River will represent a turning point for the landscape of the property. It is based on hydromorphology studies and intervention strategies for risk solution, and riverside plant species to attend this ecosystem. The project seeks to enhance historic elements, such as the water canals in Monteserrate.

The Cable Car Project to Cerro San Cristobal was resumed by the State Party with a different trajectory than previously abandoned proposals. A HIA is required to address the fragility and visibility of the landscape, the historical fabric, and archaeological remains.

The project for the restructuring of the square in front of the Convent of San Francisco and the atrium along Ancash Street was the subject of an extensive ICOMOS Technical Review in March 2022. The proposal includes the demolition of the perimeter fence which was erected in 1987 and the partial reconstruction of the atrium fences in front of Lampa street and along Ancash street. In February 2022, the 1987 fence was demolished, but since then works have been halted due to legal proceedings between PROLIMA and the Franciscan order. The Technical Review considered the demolition of the fence as justified but expressed strong reservations about the communication around the execution of the works. It strongly discouraged the reconstruction or reinterpretation of the fences which had originally enclosed the cemetery but were demolished in 1871.

It is to be noted that the State Party submitted, together with its state of conservation report, a proposal for a minor boundary modification that will include some additional areas in the World Heritage property and revise the boundaries of the buffer zone (see Document WHC/23/45.COM/8B).