The Bureau took note of a report submitted by the Minister for Culture, Youth, Family and Women of the Land Rheinland-Pfalz regarding the Roman amphitheatre in Trier.
The Bureau noted the results of the urban competition for the zone north of the Roman amphitheatre and the selection of a project which would permit the reopening of the northern access to the arena, which had until now, been blocked by brewery constructions. The Bureau requested the City of Trier to adopt this project and to establish a legal planning instrument for its implementation.
With regard to archaeological excavations of which the report makes no mention, the Bureau learned that they were important for a better knowledge of the site which includes, other than the amphitheatre, barracks, depots and a cementery. The Bureau requested the local and Land authorities to do their utmost to allow the archaeologists to continue their work and to provide them with the means and the time necessary to accomplish their task.
As to the height of the urban villas east of the Bergstrasse, the Bureau regretted that the advice of the UNESCO-ICOMOS mission of May 1996 to reduce the height of the buildings closest to the amphitheatre had not been followed up. It considered that this will have a negative impact on the historical aspect of the amphitheatre. In this context, the Bureau noted the need for clearly established and adequately managed buffer zones. It requested the Secretariat to transmit these considerations to the German authorities with the request for a full report on the protection and management mechanisms for the monuments and their surroundings for examination by the next session of the Committee.
In conclusion, the Bureau requested ICOMOS to send another expert mission to Trier to assess the actual impact caused to the World heritage site, as well as the possible impact of the proposed urbanization of the Petrisberg east of the amphitheatre. It requested ICOMOS to report its findings to the next Committee session.