Champagne Hillsides, Houses and Cellars

Threats identified at the time of inscription in 2015:

• Lack of updated calendar for the finalisation of the protection designations currently being established
• Lack of an Heritage Impact Assessment for the wind farm projects of Pocancy-Champigneul
• Need for a comprehensive study on the structural behaviour of the quarries in the Saint-Nicaise Hill
• Need to identify relevant indicators for the assessment of the state of conservation of the property, and to define an appropriate periodicity of measurement for each of them
• Lack of measures to protect or to restore the biodiversity of the landscape
• Potential projects located within the Mercier House estate at the south of the Place de la République

Following a progress report (requested at the time of inscription of the property in 2015) submitted on 30 November 2016, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report on 29 November 2017, which is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1465/documents/, and reports the following:

• Several protection instruments underway at the time of inscription have either been introduced or are undergoing finalization, namely the site classé of the Champagne hillsides of the municipalities of Aÿ, Champillon, Cumières, Damery, Dizy, Hautvillers, Mareuil-sur-Aÿ, Mutigny and Saint Imoges, enacted by ministerial decree on 2 June 2016;
• Law n°2016-925 of 7 July 2016 on creativity, architecture and heritage modifies previous protection instruments – including Secteurs sauveguardés, areas for enhancement of architecture and heritage (AVAP), and zones for the protection of architectural, urban and landscape heritage (ZPPAUP) – creating remarkable heritage sites (SPRs). SPRs shall be managed through safeguarding and enhancement plans (PSMV), plans for the enhancement of architecture and heritage (PVAP) or through AVAP regulations;
• The Aÿ, Hautvillers and Mareuil-sur-Aÿ AVAP received final validation by relevant municipal councils on 30 March 2016. Reims Municipal Council adopted the Saint-Nicaise Hill AVAP on 14 November 2016, and launched the creation of a Secteur sauvegardé for Reims on 1 February 2016. The site’s historic study ended in October 2017, while the delineation of its perimeters is expected by July 2018 and the finalisation of its PSMV in 2020. Feedback from the Regional Commission for Architecture and Heritage on transforming the ZPPAUP for Avenue de Champagne à Epernay into an SPR is expected in the first half of 2018;
• A Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) of the windfarm located near Pocancy and Champigneul, and its cumulative impact with the Thibie windfarm on the property’s Outstanding Universal Value (OUV), was completed by state services in March 2016. It concluded that protection of OUV could not be guaranteed; consequently, the Marne Prefecture refused the project’s building permit. The proponents have appealed against this decision and the case will be decided in 2018. Study of a forthcoming Landscape Influence Area will guide future decisions on the location of windfarms;
• Monitoring campaigns were realised concerning underground cellars in Reims, giving positive conclusions. Nevertheless, the municipality has requested the Bureau de Recherches Géologiques et Minières (BRGM) to implement further studies, with the first results expected in 2020;
• Efforts are ongoing to align monitoring indicators, including those recently introduced that relate to state of conservation activities, management efficacy, and the planning system, with those developed by the World Heritage Centre;
• Recovery of the vineyards’ biodiversity is ensured through sustainable agro-practices, preserving agro-ecological infrastructure, and tending to the hillsides’ landscape;
• No projects or building permits have ultimately been implemented in the Mercier House estate, which is regulated by AVAP so as to ensure control over any future transformation.

The State Party has made significant advancements in addressing all the Committee’s recommendations. The enactment of the site classé and the final validation of the AVAP for Aÿ, Hautvillers and Mareuil-sur-Aÿ are worth mentioning, as well as the ongoing preparation of the AVAP for Saint-Nicaise and new Secteur sauvegardé in Reims.

It is recommended that the Committee commend the State Party for the dedication and the rigorous methodology of its state services in assessing and explaining the potential negative impacts of the proposed windfarm of Pocancy and Champigneul on the property’s OUV, and the consequent decision by the Marne Prefecture to refuse the project’s building permit. The methodology appears robust and the assessment valid.  It is important to note that the methodology developed is considered useful for impact assessments concerning other World Heritage properties in France. The initiation of the study on the underground system of cavities is welcomed as a necessary preliminary step for the Risk Management Plan. Consolidating the indicators already in use within the property and those envisaged in the nomination dossier represents a useful first step to link these indicators with management objectives.

Information on the activities for the safeguarding of biodiversity is welcome: these should be integrated into everyday farming activities in order to produce their expected results.