Decision : 36 COM 7B.91
Tower of London (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Island) (C 488)
The World Heritage Committee,
1. Having examined Document WHC-12/36.COM/7B.Add,
2. Recalling Decision 35 COM 7B.114 adopted at its 35th session (UNESCO, 2011),
3. Acknowledges the information provided by the State Party on the protection of the visual integrity of the property and in respect to major developments in the area and urges it to continue to develop the National Planning Policy Framework to consolidate existing planning policies;
4. Notes the results of the December 2011 reactive monitoring mission to the property and encourages the State Party to implement its recommendations, in particular:
a) Further define the immediate and wider setting of the property in relation to its Outstanding Universal Value and embed these in the policies of all relevant planning authorities,
b) Define specific measures, based on the definition of the setting of the property, to ensure the protection of the property and minimize its vulnerability to potential threats to its Outstanding Universal Value,
c) Regulate further build-up of the area surrounding the Shard of Glass building, ensuring that approved heights do not exceed a height whereby they would become visible above the on-site historic buildings;
5. Requests the State Party, in accordance to Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines, to submit to the World Heritage Centre, for review by the Advisory Bodies, any major proposed development project before any irreversible commitment is made;
6. Also requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2014, a report on the state of conservation of the property and on the steps taken to implement the recommendations set out above, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 38th session in 2014.
Original Decision Document