Decision 38 COM 7B.29

Natural and Culturo-Historical Region of Kotor (Montenegro) (C 125)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC-14/38.COM/7B,
2. Recalling Decision 36 COM 7B.79 adopted at its 36th session (Saint-Petersburg, 2012),
3. Welcomes the actions undertaken by the State Party for improving the legal and management arrangements for the property and for the implementation of the recommendations from the 2013 advisory mission;
4. Encourages the State Party to continue its efforts with particular attention to the following;
   1. Ensure the sustained operation and resourcing of the management system, particularly by formally designating the newly created Management Council of the Kotor Region as a coordinating entity between different management levels,
   2. Continue with the harmonisation of planning tools to establish a clear policy framework for heritage decision-making to ensure that urbanisation and development are adequately planned for and controlled, particularly in consideration of the landscape qualities of the property;
   3. Consider the establishment of a zoning system for protection of the property, based on the Special Purpose Spatial Plan for the Coastal Area (SPSPCA), with adequate regulatory regimes that include detailed provisions regarding the acceptable limits and rate for change, particularly in terms of specific urban development parameters in consideration to the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property,
   4. Conclude the Spatial Urban Plan, including the Regional Transport Strategy, and integrate its provisions in the planning tools of all three neighbouring municipalities,
5. Encourages controlled implementation of developments in Morinj, Kostanjica and Glavati and requests the State Party to undertake Heritage Impact Assessment to ensure that no impact occurs on Outstanding Universal Value. The State Party is invited to submit a Heritage Impact Assessment for the Kotor Region, which is underway, to the World Heritage Centre for review prior to undertaking any further commitments;
6. Requests that Heritage Impact Assessments (HIAs) be undertaken for all options for the transportation connection at Verige, including the by-pass road around Kotor, and that project proposals under consideration, with corresponding HIAs, be submitted to the World Heritage Centre for review prior to making commitments to their implementation;
7. Also requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 2015, an updated report, including a 1-page executive summary, on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the above, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 40th session in 2016.