Old Town of Galle and its Fortifications

• Commercial development
• Illegal activities
• Management systems/ management plan
• Marine transport infrastructure

N/A

On 9 December 2022 the State Party submitted a state of conservation report, which is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/451/documents/. Progress in a number of conservation issues addressed by the Committee at its previous sessions is presented in this report, as follows:

• Staff increases have been made at the Galle Heritage Foundation (GHF) and, overall, the GHF’s annual budget has increased over the last few years, while new income streams are providing fairly steady self-generated funds;
• To date approximately 40% of the Integrated Management Plan (IMP) and 30% of the Sustainable Tourism Management Plan (STMP) have been implemented;
• The Planning Committee for Galle Fort meet regularly to consider applications for developments within the property on the basis of their potential impacts on the property;
• A traffic plan for the property is being developed with the Municipal Council, while large vehicles are already prohibited;
• A senior officer of the Southern Province Tourism Bureau is now permanently attached to the GHF’s visitor centre;
• A significant conservation project was funded within the World Bank’s Strategic Cities Development Programme, which saw the creation of a paved path along the entire rampart walls; repairs to ramparts; the conversion of several dungeons to museum galleries; the installation of a lighting system; and landscaping of green areas;
• Conservation plans have been prepared for five heritage buildings, of which one is completed and three are underway;
• Additional areas within the property made accessible to the public through the opening of gallery spaces in the Moon and Star Bastions and the Black Fort, and through adaptive reuse of historic buildings for commercial purposes, such as two structures in the Dutch Cemetery;
• Capacity building activities, in particular awareness-raising initiatives, have been carried out with a range of actors, including government officers, tour guides, students, school groups, police, vendors and other local stakeholders.

A retrospective Statement of Outstanding Universal Value (RSOUV) was finalised in May 2023 in view of its adoption by the extended 45^th session of the World Heritage Committee.

It is recognized that the site management team continues in its efforts to respond to the previous decisions of the Committee in preserving the property despite the challenges caused by the pandemic and the country’s ongoing economic crisis. While recognizing the difficulties of implementing the 2016-18 IMP and the STMP without sufficient funds, it is of concern that more than half the identified actions have not yet been implemented, nor has the Conservation Plan yet been drafted or work started on a Master Plan. It is also noted that although the number of approved development proposals has been submitted, no details of the approved projects have been provided, including extensive conservation projects at the Fort, the scope of these project is unclear as is how they have been assessed in relation to the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV).

There remain a number of areas of concern that need addressing without further delay in order to ensure the effective long-term management of the property. These relate to the outstanding actions, Conservation Plan, the Master Plan, and assessment of conservation and development projects.

The RSOUV can provide a foundation for all other management and conservation activities at the property, enabling to identify necessary measures to preserve OUV and values-based management based on a shared understanding of what constitutes OUV and the attributes that convey it. In particular, the RSOUV can help identify the priority actions that need to take place within renewed management and conservation planning processes. The RSOUV should also be used when reviewing development projects proposed within and outside the property; as well as projects for the adaptive reuse of historic buildings and for improving the visitor experience. As there is already a range of activities underway, the State Party is invited to inform the World Heritage Centre in advance of any projects that may affect the OUV of the property in accordance with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines. It should be noted that it is not only development projects that might affect OUV, but even conservation and adaptive reuse projects may have impacts.

In light of the economic crisis, it is suggested that the outstanding tasks within the existing plans are reviewed and a rapid conservation survey carried out. In this way, urgent actions within the plans can be prioritized; management and conservation planning can be updated; and required financial and other resources quantified. This should include carrying out previously requested studies on issues such as traffic, visitor capacity, etc., so as to inform master planning for the property. Hence, the available resources can be best distributed according to the priorities for protecting the OUV and other potential funding sources can be identified.

Despite the additional information provided on the GHF’s structure, increased staff and budget, it is still not clear if these increases correspond to the needs of the property or if the GHF is consequently able to fulfil its role effectively. It would be useful to carry out an evaluation of the effectiveness of the management system for the Old Town of Galle in order to identify the amounts and types of human and financial resources required. Moreover, an effectiveness evaluation would identify areas where different actors involved in management activities would benefit from targeted capacity building that meets specific needs. This is an area where ICCROM could be invited to contribute within its mandate for capacity building.