Decision 41 COM 7B.45

Upper Middle Rhine Valley (Germany) (C 1066)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/17/41.COM/7B,
2. Recalling Decision 39 COM 7B.78, adopted at its 39th session (Bonn, 2015),
3. Noting the resumption of exploratory planning for a permanent river crossing, requests the State Party to closely involve the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies, at the earliest possible stage, in the appraisal of options undertaken in a wide regional strategic context, and before any decisions are taken;
4. Welcoming its committment to reduce noise levels from trains in the property, encourages the State Party to prepare and adopt relevant legal regulations for railway noise reduction;
5. Notes with concern the policies and regulations adopted concerning wind turbines within World Heritage properties and buffer zones by the Federal State of Hesse and urges the State Party to work towards common policies and regulations to exclude wind farms from World Heritage Properties and their buffer zones; and strongly encourages the State Party to develop common rules and criteria for the assessment of the impact of wind farms on the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property and its buffer zones;
6. Also requests the State Party to halt the project for the installation of a wind farm on Ranselberg hill near Lorch, which has a very high adverse visual impact on the OUV of the property, due to its visibility from different points within the boundaries of the property;
7. Also encourages the State Party to provide revised plans for the Holiday Resort Sankt-Goar-Werlau to the World Heritage Centre, for review by the Advisory Bodies, and before any decisions are taken;
8. Further requests the State Party to provide the revised and consolidated Management Plan and Master Plan, prior to their consolidation into one document, to the World Heritage Centre, for review by the Advisory Bodies;
9. Requests furthermore the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 2018, an updated report on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the above, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 43rd session in 2019.