VII.41 The Rock Carvings in Tanum (Sweden)
At the invitation of the Director of Monuments and Sites of the County Administration of Västra Götaland, ICOMOS and the World Heritage Centre undertook a mission to Tanum in September 1998 to discuss the E6 road upgrading project, funded by the European Union.
The mission examined various options for the road and expressed preference for alternatives that would avoid the World Heritage site. However, it was felt that one alternative solution, developed during the mission, although passing into the World Heritage site, would have a minimum impact on the continuity of the landscape of the World Heritage site and would not affect the rock carving sites as such.
The Committee expressed its appreciation of the fact that it was consulted on this project at such an early stage of its implementation. It recommended this consultation as a desirable precedent to other States Parties. Furthermore, it requested the State Party to study further the possibility of utilizing the Blue Route, passing to the west of the World Heritage site. In the event that this had to be precluded for engineering, social, and/or financial reasons, the Committee requested the State Party to carry out further study on the alternative route through the World Heritage site as developed during the mission.
The Committee requested the State Party to present a progress report on the E6 project, by 15 April 1999, to be examined by the Bureau at its twenty-third session.