Decision 45 COM 7B.192

Dutch Water Defence Lines (Netherlands) (C 759bis)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/23/45.COM/7B.Add.2,
2. Recalling Decision 44 COM 8B.23 adopted at its extended 44th session (Fuzhou/online, 2021),
3. Commends the State Party for the progress made in implementing the Committee’s previous decisions, particularly the work carried out to define the attributes of Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) within the property and its larger spatial context, and encourages the State Party to submit these inventories to the World Heritage Centre with its next state of conservation report;
4. Notes the forthcoming implementation of the new Environment and Planning Act and requests the State Party to provide details of its implementation and effectiveness also in its next state of conservation report;
5. Also notes the cancellation of the zoning plan for the housing development at Woudrichem, the ongoing reassessment of the Zeilfort Kudelstaart development and that the timeline for decision-making on the A8-A9 connection has not yet been set, and also requests the State Party to:
   1. provide details of the modified plans for the Woudrichem site and Zeilfort Kudelstaart to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies before any planning decisions are made,
   2. investigate alternatives to the Golf Course and Heemskerk variants for the A8-A9 connection, including other modes of transport to improve connectivity in the region, and to provide details of timelines and designs for review by the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies before any planning decisions are made;
6. Further notes the overview provided by the State Party of projects that may affect the property, and further requests the State Party provide information on the new visitor centre at Loevestein Castle, the housing development in the inundation zone of Werkendam, the planned development at Voordorpse Veld, the rehabilitation process of Fort bij Velsen, and other intervention projects for the reuse of the built heritage within the property before any planning decisions are made;
7. Notes furthermore the assessment framework for incorporating solar and wind energy into spatial planning and requests furthermore that details of the assessment framework and of planned wind and solar projects which may affect the OUV of the property be provided to the World Heritage Centre;
8. 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.