The World Heritage Committee,
- Having examined Document WHC/17/41.COM/7B,
- Recalling Decision 39 COM 7B.89, adopted at its 39th session (Bonn, 2015),
- Congratulates the State Party for the progress made in the implementation of its recommendations and for the participatory approach it has taken in the definition of protective areas around the churches, as well as for concrete restoration, communication and education programmes that are under execution;
- Urges the State Party to finalize the identification of buffer zones around all remaining churches and to proceed urgently with their submission as a minor boundary modification proposal encompassing all 16 components of the property;
- Notes the progress made in the preparation of the Integrated Management Plan;
- Welcomes the progress made with the construction of the by-pass in Castro and the conclusion of the traffic studies related to the shopping mall in Castro, and recommends that the State Party:
- Continue to monitor the traffic flows around the church including the impact of the bus terminal north of the church,
- Keep the vehicular access to the shopping mall in Calle San Martin closed,
- Undertake Heritage Impact Assessments of projects in the surroundings of the church, particularly of the proposed parking garage in the buffer zone under the Plaza de Armas that could potentially affect the Outstanding Universal Value of the property;
- Strongly regrets that the construction of the shopping mall in Castro was completed without significant modifications to its design and that the mitigation measures that are now being considered are limited to the application of colors, texture and material on the facade facing the sea and the planting of trees; and requests the State Party to submit the designs and mitigation measures agreed between the owner of the mall, the Direction of Libraries, Archives and Museums (DIBAM) and the National Monuments Council (CMN), as soon as possible to the World Heritage Centre, for review by the Advisory Bodies, prior to their implementation;
- Also requests 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.