The World Heritage Committee,
1. Having examined Document WHC-08/32.COM/7B,
2. Recalling Decision 31COM 7B.102, adopted at its 31st session (Christchurch, 2007),
3. Regrets that the State Party did not provide the detailed state of conservation report, including the high rise development project in St. Petersburg requested by the World Heritage Committee, and also regrets that the maps submitted by the State Party dated 18 January 2007, 5 March 2007 and 5 February 2008, did not comply with the World Heritage Committee's request as they did not provide detailed boundaries and buffer zones of all components of the property, including the Leningrad Region;
4. Expresses its grave concern about the proposed Gazprom tower of the "Ohkta Centre", which could affect the Outstanding Universal Value of this property and recalls that it considered at its 31st session (Christchurch, 2007) the possibility of inclusion of the property on the List of World Heritage in Danger;
5. Urges the State Party to inform the World Heritage Centre on the official position vis-à-vis the proposed project of the "Ohkta Centre" tower in St. Petersburg;
6. Invites the State Party to establish, in coordination with the World Heritage Centre and ICOMOS, an international expert group on the St. Petersburg Retrospective Inventory, and provide necessary financial support for this activity, and also urges the State Party to finalize the boundary of the property and its buffer zone, including all components in the region, and present a report by 1 February 2009;
7. Requests the State Party, in consultation with the World Heritage Centre and ICOMOS to develop a draft Statement of Outstanding Universal Value including the conditions of integrity and authenticity, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 33rd session in 2009;
8. Also requests the State Party:
a) to invite a joint World Heritage Centre / ICOMOS Reactive Monitoring mission to the property to evaluate the potential impact of the proposed Ohkta Tower on the Outstanding Universal Value, integrity and authenticity of the property;
b) not to take action on any project until the results of the mission are available;
9. Requests the Chairperson and the Director of the World Heritage Centre to convene a high-level meeting with the State Party to underscore the importance of cooperating with the Committee in determining the potential impact of the proposed Ohkta Centre on the Outstanding Universal Value, integrity and authenticity of the property;
10. Further requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2009, a state of conservation report, including details on the Gazprom project of the "Ohkta Centre", which may have an impact on the Outstanding Universal Value of the property, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 33rd session in 2009, with a view to considering, in the absence of substantial progress, the inscription of the property on the List of World Heritage in Danger.