World Heritage status preserved

City retains Unesco title

Unesco’s World Heritage Committee has endorsed Edinburgh as a World Heritage Site following an inspection that took place last year.

In November 2008, a delegation consisting of experts from UNESCO and ICOMOS spent three days in the city considering the overall state of conservation of the Edinburgh World Heritage Site and the impact of possible future developments.

The report, presented to the World Heritage Committee in Seville in June this year, noted that the overall state of conservation in Edinburgh was being managed appropriately and that good guidance on conservation and development was in place.

The report was very supportive of the St James Centre proposed redevelopment

and the recent Skyline Study which has helped inform planning policy guidelines.

A couple of points of concern were raised, most notably around elements of the proposed Caltongate project – which has planning consent – and the height of the proposed hotel at Haymarket.

The Council and its partners, including Historic Scotland and Edinburgh World Heritage, are waiting for the results of a public inquiry into the Haymarket hotel before deciding what action to take in the future.

The follow-up report will be presented to the World Heritage Committee in February 2011.