Purpose

Seeking approval to go to public consultation
on the Draft City of Bath and Great Spa Towns of Europe World
Heritage Site Management Plan (2024-2030). It will replace the
previous Management Plan (2016-2022), and is a combined Plan for
both of Bath's World Heritage UNESCO Inscriptions: City of Bath
(1987) and the Great Spa Towns of Europe (2021).

Decision

(1) 
To endorse the draft City of Bath and Great Spa Towns of Europe
World Heritage Site Management Plan (2024-2030) for formal public
engagement.
 
(2) 
To agree the approach to public engagement as set out in the
report.

Reasons for the decision

World Heritage Sites (WHS) are inscribed and
overseen by UNESCO.  UNESCO Operational
Guidelines (2021) require each site to produce a management plan,
renewed every six years, describing what the site consists of, why
it is of global significance, how it is managed, what challenges it
faces and how (through an action plan) these will be
addressed.  This draft will replace the
previous plan covering the period of 2016-2022 and has been drafted
to include the second inscription.
 
UNESCO WHS inscription remains a highly
respected global brand and the highest and most prestigious
heritage designation and accolade that can be achieved.  Bath is one of only 22 sites out of 1223 worldwide
to achieve a double inscription: City of Bath (1987) and Great Spa
Towns of Europe (2021). The benefits it brings are substantial,
including economic, deriving from the global status and profile for
the city, which is significant, and other comparable UK cities that
recognise these benefits have attempted to gain this status so far
without success. 
 
The WHS Management Plan informs, works
alongside and is complementary to the Council’s Development
Plan.
 
It is important to seek stakeholders’
views on the issues, challenges and opportunities facing the WHS
now and going forward and the objectives and actions identified to
address them.  The consultation is also
an opportunity to widen understanding of the reasons for the two
World Heritage Site inscriptions and their importance.  The consultation will be aimed at a wide range of
stakeholders, from communities / residents to statutory
organisations, the voluntary sector, local businesses, developers
etc.

Alternative options considered

None.