Palace of Westminster and Westminster Abbey including Saint Margaret’s Church

• Construction proposals in the immediate vicinity of the property that could have an adverse impact on the setting, related vistas and integrity of the property;
• Lack of an in-depth visual impact study on possible impacts of development projects, as well as lack of an approved management plan;
• Need for protection of the immediate surroundings of the property through an adequate buffer zone.

On 31 January 2014, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report, which is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/426/documents/.

In reply to the Committee’s request, the State Party reported that the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) published in March 2012 is currently being complemented by a National Planning Practice Guidance, aimed at providing additional assistance for the use of the NPPF, including specific guidance related to managing World Heritage properties. It underlined that these and other recently published documents on planning policy guidance are considered to be sufficient to guide planning decisions for the wider setting of the property. It expressed its view that a more detailed framework would be inadequate to the metropolitan character of London and would unreasonably limit its development. The State Party also reiterated the procedures in place for submitting planning applications, which allow the national level to intervene only after the responsible local authority took a decision thereon.

The State Party further reported that, following the Secretary of State’s decision not to call-in the planning application for Elizabeth House, English Heritage and Westminster City Council lodged legal challenges in the courts to the Lambeth Council’s resolution to grant consent for the planning application. In March 2014, the High Court rejected these challenges; the court’s decision would now allow Lambeth Council to issue the permission for the development project. However, no formal consent of approval has yet been issued for the Elizabeth House scheme at the time of preparation of this working document, and the State Party informed that Lambeth Council is still requested to reconsider the planning application taking into account English Heritage’s concerns before making any final decision. The State Party also reported that Westminster City Council is in the process of exploring ways to define the immediate setting of the property in consultation with relevant stakeholders. Once this process would be finalized, it is expected that the relevant planning policy frameworks would be adapted accordingly.

The State Party finally recalled that the planning applications for the development schemes of Nine Elms Regeneration Development Market Towers, Vauxhall Cross and Vauxhall Island Site were approved and decision notices issued.

The State Party has developed its set of planning guidance documents to improve coordination of relevant local authorities in view of planning and decision-making related to the property. It is also noted that regulations for the application of Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) for World Heritage-relevant projects appear to have been strengthened, and that the State Party looks to improve procedures linked to its obligation arising from Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines.

It is further noted that the State Party does not envisage defining a wider setting for the World Heritage properties in London. It is however underlined that, while the regulatory documents and frameworks seem to be reinforced, the dynamic urban development of the metropolitan area of London requires permanent and particular attention to potentially impacting development projects. It is yet recalled that there is a continued need to better define the wider setting of the property and its protection, and to ensure that timelines for decision-taking for planning applications are such that the results of the Advisory Bodies’ review of planning applications can be appropriately taken into account.

There is serious concern that legal objections to the Elizabeth House development scheme were rejected and that there would be no legal obstacles to issuing the final permission and to implementing the development scheme. Implementing the development scheme as currently planned would constitute a substantial adverse impact on the important views to and from the World Heritage property, its Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) and integrity. It is therefore recommended that the Committee consider placing the property on the List of World Heritage in Danger and request the State Party to reconsider the Elizabeth House development scheme, encouraging the State Party to prepare, in consultation with the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies, a proposal for the Desired state of conservation for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger (DSOCR) and a set of corrective measures and a timeframe for their implementation.

It is also pointed out that the State Party has not taken any steps to intervene and review the development projects of Nine Elms Regeneration Development Market Towers, Vauxhall Cross and Vauxhall Island Site, which were considered to be potentially impacting on the OUV. It is therefore considered critical that Elizabeth House, as well as the other proposed development schemes of Nine Elms Regeneration Development Market Towers, Vauxhall Cross and Vauxhall Island Site are revised as a matter of urgency, by taking into account the concerns raised by English Heritage.