Humberstone and Santa Laura Saltpeter Works

a) Extremely fragile nature of the industrial buildings that were constructed using local materials such as timber for frames, corrugated iron sheets for roofs and some walls, in addition to stucco and lightweight construction;

b) Lack of maintenance over the past 40 years as well as vandalism at the property;

c) Corrosion of metal cladding and dismantlement of some of the structural elements. A few buildings, such as the Leaching house, are liable to structural collapse if no support is given;

d) Very little conservation work carried out;

e) Damage caused by the wind. 

• Extremely fragile nature of the industrial buildings;
• Lack of maintenance for 40 years;
• Vandalism due to looting of re-usable materials;
• Damage caused by the wind. 

The State Party is preparing a Desired state of conservation that will be submitted to the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies.

a) Establishment of the management team with adequate human and financial resources;

b) Structural consolidation and rehabilitation works for several emblematic buildings, such as the public buildings, the housing sector and the industrial zone buildings, using available materials within the property;

c) Security measures for the visitors in some buildings, such as those located in the industrial zone;

d) Specific regulations for the buffer zone.

a) The work plan for the first phase includes security measures for visitors, cleaning and selection of materials, and low cost corrective measures. The second phase foresees the urgent structural consolidation of all the identified buildings which should be done by 2009;

b) The implementation of the work plan is depending on the availability of funds. 

Humberstone and Santa Laura Saltpeter works was inscribed on the World Heritage List and on List of World Heritage in Danger in 2005 due to the fragile state of conservation of the buildings, derived from lack of maintenance, natural conditions and social factors including looting.

On 26 February 2009, the State Party submitted a report to indicate progress made to in regard to the implementation of corrective measures.

a) Establishment of the management team with adequate human and financial resources

The State Party reports that a study will be undertaken in 2009 to update the management plan, terms of reference for what is foreseen as a participatory process are being developed. The study will be financed by the Programa Puesta en Valor del Patrimonio. No indication for the timeframe for revising the plan is provided and no indication of when to expect a functioning management system.

b) Structural consolidation and rehabilitation works for several emblematic buildings, such as the public buildings, the housing sector and the industrial zone buildings, using available materials within the property

The State Party reports that the assessment and the projects for structural interventions at 19 buildings will be finalised at the end of March 2009. The delay in this complex process is explained by the lack of technical expertise to both carry out the assessment and define sound intervention programmes. Upon finalisation of the current diagnostic phase, the State Party will provide a timeframe for implementation of such interventions.  It also indicates that a final report on all the projects funded through International Assistance will be submitted upon completion.

c) Security measures for the visitors in some buildings, such as those located in the industrial zone

Systematic clearing and ordering of the industrial area has been carried out, which has allowed for better knowledge and developing a cadastre of the areas. A project is foreseen for implementation in 2009 to address the perimeter enclosure of the Humberstone and Santa Laura offices. No indication is otherwise provided on specific security measures for visitors.

d) Specific regulations for the buffer zone

A meeting was held in September 2008 with the local authorities to start working on the regulations for the area. The National Monuments Council committed itself to hiring a consultant to develop a preliminary proposal for regulations during 2009.

The State Party also indicates that with the new proposal to re-route Route A-16 entails that the southern edge of the delimited and protected area will need to be modified. The area under discussion is the equivalent of 60 hectares and the State Party considers that it corresponds to a sector with low heritage significance and would not affect the integrity or authenticity of the inscribed property. It is reported that information required for a minor boundary change will be presented shortly for evaluation.

The World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies, in spite the efforts made by the State Party, remain concerned about the rate of progress in securing the physical conservation of the industrial buildings within the inscribed property, particularly in light of the insufficiency of technical expertise indicated by the State Party to address the issue comprehensively. In addition, the establishment of a functioning management system and application of regulatory measures for the buffer zone are still in the planning stages which entails a significant time lapse before effective implementation.