Decision 45 COM 7B.61

Derwent Valley Mills (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland) (C 1030)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/23/45.COM/7B,
2. Notes that development proposals in the buffer zone and the setting of the property have been approved against ICOMOS’ advice that these projects would have a negative impact on the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property, and that development areas have been identified within the property boundaries in the Belper 2021 Neighbourhood Plan, which may have a similar impact on its OUV, and requests the State Party to:
   1. Reconsider the approval of the Landmark project in Derby and not approve the implementation of the Amber Rock Resort, Bradshaw Way and Eagle Quarter proposals in their current form to avoid the negative impact they will have on the OUV of the property,
   2. Halt the further execution of already approved projects that may have a negative impact of the OUV of the property but whose implementation has not yet commenced in the property, its buffer zone and setting and submit details of these projects to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies;
3. Notes with concern the poor state of conservation of the large Belper Mills complex, one of the key attributes of the property, and that current proposals for the adaptive reuse of the complex would lead to an erosion of the OUV of the property and urges the State Party to define a rescue plan for the way forward with appropriate uses that support the property’s OUV and to submit details of such a proposal to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies before any approvals are given that may be difficult to reverse;
4. Also notes that the various local and regional authorities tasked with the management of the property are currently developing new local plans, but that these do not seem to be coordinated nor their potential impact on the OUV of the property assessed cumulatively, and also requests the State Party to ensure that, prior to their adoption, all new local plans and policies that affect the property, its buffer zone and its setting are assessed through integrated Heritage Impact Assessments (HIAs) in conformity with the Guidance for Impact Assessment in a World Heritage Context, that analyse their cumulative impacts on the OUV of the property, and that these HIAs are submitted to the World Heritage Centre in line with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines for review by the Advisory Bodies;
5. Welcomes the updating of the Management Plan for the property but further notes with great concern that the management system for the property is fragmented, that negative impacts can be accommodated within the national policy system leading to a cumulative erosion of the property’s OUV, that the Management Plan does not have any legal jurisdiction and that consequently the requirements for HIAs for development proposals as outlined in the Operational Guidelines are not met;
6. Further requests the State Party to initiate a review of the management system of the property, with the aim of establishing a fully functioning management system that:
   1. Guarantees the safeguarding and transmission of the OUV of the property,
   2. Provides a management authority with the legal jurisdiction and agency to ensure the OUV of the property is safeguarded, also in coordinating the spatial and other plans of the various authorities with spatial mandates over the various sections of the property and its buffer zone and setting,
   3. Provides legal status to the Management Plan of the property,
   4. Provides a legal mandate for the execution of HIAs as prescribed by the Operational Guidelines in conformity with the Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessments in a World Heritage Context, developed in collaboration between the Advisory Bodies and the World Heritage Centre;
7. Expresses concern that development pressures on the property, coupled with the inability of the management system to safeguard its OUV, are reaching such proportions that, if not addressed as a matter of urgency, ascertained or potential threat, as defined in paragraphs 179 and 180 of the Operational Guidelines, could be confirmed and strongly recommends to the State Party to invite a joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS/ICCROM Advisory mission to the property to provide guidance on revising and strengthening the management system;
8. Finally requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2024, a report on the state of conservation of the property and on the steps taken to implement the recommendations mentioned above, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 46th session, considering that the urgent conservation needs of this property require a broad and urgent mobilization to preserve its Outstanding Universal Value.