Historic Centre of Lima

• Fires in 1998 and 2001 (issue resolved)
• Management systems/ management plan (formalization of the procedures to set up a Management Coordination Unit to implement the Strategic Plan; revision of the Master and Strategic Plans)
• Housing
• New development projects within the Historic Centre including urban transportation systems (Corredor Segregado and subway system) and interventions in historical buildings
• Ground transport infrastructure (development of the cable car project for tourism purposes)
• Management activities (unsuitable interventions)

On 5 March 2019, the State Party submitted a report on the state of conservation of the property, a summary of which is available at http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/500/documents/. Progress in a number of conservation issues addressed by the Committee at its previous sessions is presented, as follows:

• A new proposal is being developed by the Ministry of Trade and Tourism (MINCETUR) to construct a cable car to the Cerro San Cristobal in the Municipality of Rimac, differently from what was previously reported by the State Party in 2017. The Metropolitan Municipality of Lima has indicated that visual impact and mitigation studies, as well as a Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA), need to be submitted to the Ministry of Culture for evaluation and advice before further development of the project. In due time, the State Party will submit the project to the World Heritage Centre, in accordance with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines;
• Regarding the High Capacity Segregated Corridor, the Metropolitan Institute PROTRANSPORTE will undertake HIAs for Colmena Station (located within the property) and Ramon Castilla, Quilca and Central Stations (located in the buffer zone) and identify impacts and mitigation measures. Once available, the studies will be submitted to the World Heritage Centre;
• The new Master Plan and the corresponding Administrative Regulations were completed after two years of inter-institutional work, taking into account the Historic Urban Landscape approach and the advice from the 2017 Advisory mission. Both documents have the favourable opinion of the Ministry of Culture and are now in the process of being approved through municipal ordinance;
• A technical cooperation with the Inter-American Development Bank will define the parameters and feasibility of a programme for the revitalization of historical centres in Peru (Lima, Arequipa, Trujillo and Ayacucho);
• The construction of metro stations of lines 2 and 3 will require HIAs. Once completed these will be submitted to the World Heritage Centre, as per Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines.

Other issues are reported, such as the presence of clandestine interventions in historic buildings, the potential impact of wholesale trade and street markets, and the need to improve risk preparedness in the property in order to face El Niño and climate change threats. All issues were taken into account in the elaboration of the new Master Plan and are expected to be addressed with its implementation.

On 29 April 2019, the State Party informed the World Heritage Centre about a fire that occurred on 19 April 2019 in the block known as Mesa Redonda, located in the property’s buffer zone. The national authorities reported that there were no significant impacts on buildings of heritage value and that a detailed assessment to determine necessary remediation measures is underway.

It is noted with concern that yet another project for a cable car to the top of the Cerro San Cristobal in Rimac is being developed. The State Party should be urged to consider the Committee’s observations and recommendations expressed in its previous decisions and strictly apply the orientations provided by PROLIMA that require a HIA to be undertaken and formal approval by the Ministry of Culture before the project is fully developed. The studies should be submitted to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies.

As for the High Capacity Segregated Corridor, since 2009, the World Heritage Committee has expressed its concern about the potential threats the project poses to the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property, which have remained, for the past 10 years, largely unaddressed. It is therefore recommended that the Committee note with deep regret that the HIAs of the project’s stations in the property and buffer zone remain pending despite its repeated requests. Capacity-building activities regarding the training of local staff in the elaboration of HIAs should be prioritized.

The 2017 mission reviewed the final draft of the Master Plan for the Historical Centre of Lima 2018-2028 and issued a comprehensive set of recommendations for its finalization. The finalization of the Master Plan is welcomed as an important achievement. ICOMOS is undertaking an extensive technical review of the final version of the Master Plan, and so the State Party should be requested to consider its views and include its recommendations in the final revised version of the Plan, before submitting it to municipal approval. Afterwards, coordination between the Municipality of Rimac, the Metropolitan Municipality of Lima, and with all stakeholders should be ensured in the implementation phase, including through the continuation of the thematic Working Groups and the creation of an autonomous unit responsible for the management of the entire property.

While considerable progress can be noted in the management, there remain unaddressed conservation issues and areas with significant problems within the property, as noted the 2017 mission. Living conditions, infrastructure, security and unsuitable interventions remain of great concern. Especially the Convent of San Francisco de Lima, one of the key attributes of the property, has suffered unauthorized interventions that have provoked irreversible damage. According to official sources reported during the 2017 mission, these interventions involved intentional demolitions (including chapels, cloisters, and cells), repairs of tiles, altarpieces and paintings without following conservation principles, and the destruction of coffered ceilings and pavements. As for public spaces and urban design, regulations should be developed for the use of street pavements, and stratigraphic research should be carried out on the facades.

A complex transportation system (above and underground) is being implemented. This includes six metro lines (line 1 is completed and lines 2 and 3 are under preparation) and an important road upgrading project (the Linea Amarilla). It should be stressed that all components of this system located within the boundaries of the property and its buffer zone will require studies that include HIAs. Detailed proposals of lines 2 and 3 stations, including their surface and surroundings, as well as risk prevention measures, should be requested from the State Party.

Finally, it should be noted that the 2017 mission report contains a substantive set of recommendations on the institutional arrangements for the management of the property, rehabilitation interventions, and a possible minor boundary modification to include within the property’s boundaries a number of monuments that are currently located in its buffer zone. It is recommended that the Committee strongly invite the State Party to implement all the recommendations of the mission.

The fire of 19 April 2019 in the buffer zone reported by the State Party highlights the importance of implementing fully the updated Master Plan for the property, and ensuring that disaster risk management continues to form a priority for the authorities involved in the property’s conservation and management.