Decision 45 COM 7B.190

City of Valletta (Malta) (C 131)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/23/45.COM/7B.Add.2,
2. Recalling Decision 33 COM 7B.113 adopted at its 33rd session (Sevilla, 2009),
3. Notes the efforts of the State Party with regard the restoration of state-owned monuments and churches in the property;
4. Requests the State Party to submit the following documents to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies, in a timely manner and prior to their formal adoption:
   1. The ‘Views and Vistas analysis’ from strategic viewpoints to address the issue of height controls inside and outside the property,
   2. The delineation of an adequate buffer zone, which should also be responsive to the conclusions of the ‘Views and Vistas analysis’, in accordance with paragraphs 103 to 105 of the Operational Guidelines,
   3. The final draft of the Management Plan for the property, in line with the 2011 Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape, including a tourism management plan and provisions for the management of the buffer zone, once adopted by the Committee, and the maintenance of important views and vistas in the setting of the property, so that it becomes a fully operational instrument for the efficient management of the property and its future;
5. Welcomes the preparation of Heritage and/or Environmental Impact Assessments for several large-scale development projects, and encourages the State Party to continue to improve the Heritage Impact Assessments process by paying due attention to the indirect and cumulative impacts of the many projects under preparation, including for individual adaptive re-use of buildings and large-scale developments both within the property and its setting, such as the Evans Building and Manoel Island projects, based on a finalised ‘View and Vista’s analysis’ and using the Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessments in a World Heritage Context, and to submit details of these projects with their accompanying impact assessments to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies before any decisions are made that may be difficult to reverse;
6. Requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 2024, 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 47th session.