Tower of Hercules

a) Urban and outer urban development

b) Tourism pressures

On 27 January 2011, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report which addresses the concerns raised by the Committee at the time of inscription as well as how the State Party will deal with each of them. The State Party has indicated that a commitment of 3 million euros has been made for the ongoing conservation, monitoring and presentation work at the property.

a) Relationship between Tourism Consortium and Tower Management Plan Monitoring Committee

According to the report, the function of the Management Plan Monitoring Committee is to improve control and monitoring of the management of the property. It is made up of key institutions, and coordinates the activities of all agencies. The Tourism Consortium is only one of the agencies which the Monitoring Committee works with. Any plans by the Tourism Consortium or other stakeholders must be approved by the Monitoring Committee.

The World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies welcome the setting up of the Monitoring Committee. Given its important role in the protection of the site, it would be useful to have a more detailed description of its mandate, composition, and activities.

b) Production of a more comprehensive and detailed management plan, to be examined by the World Heritage Committee in 2011

The State Party has submitted to the World Heritage Centre a comprehensive management plan, which forms part of a larger Master Plan for the property. The Advisory Bodies will review the management plan and send any comments to the State Party, which will then need to ensure that the plan is approved and implemented by the relevant authorities.

c) Scientific responsibility for the future museum and visitor centre

The State Party has indicated that professionals from the Municipality of La Coruña, those related to the Management Plan Monitoring Committee, and those involved in drawing up the management plan will hold the scientific responsibility for the future museum and visitor centre. The municipality has indicated that it has established a temporary reception centre until the permanent visitor centre is completed.

The World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies take note of the scientific responsibility of the Municipality professional staff for the museum and visitor centre. They suggest, however, that the responsibilities and the job descriptions are clearly defined to ensure that the staff has the necessary background and training in order to carry out the work.

d) Installation of permanent monitoring of the hygrometry in the rooms associated with water infiltration and condensation phenomena, and planning of the measures for ventilation and possibly limiting visits

The State Party indicates that action has already been taken to deal with the problem of moisture in some of the rooms. The State Party considers that there is no need to limit visits at this stage.

The World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies note that this problem is being dealt with but strongly recommend an ongoing monitoring whether to ensure that the humidity remains at an acceptable level and in order to decide whether further measures will be necessary.

e) Development and strengthening of control over urban and outer urban development in the buffer zone

The State Party reports that there are currently no activities or urban developments planned, both in the property or its buffer zone. The Municipal Council has pledged to strengthen the monitoring of the setting surrounding the tower.

The World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies note the comments about the property and its buffer zone but underscore the need for the wider setting of the property to be protected beyond the buffer zone. Urban growth was identified as one of the main threats at the time of inscription linked to lack of building space in the urban area of the city of La Coruña. 

The World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies have taken note of all the activities outlined by the State Party concerning the protection of the property. The creation of the Management Plan Monitoring Committee is seen as a positive step as well as the completion of the management plan. It will now be crucial to ensure its implementation as well as the setting up of an ongoing monitoring programme, not just at the level of the physical conservation of the tower, but also of the tourist and urban pressures which may have a negative effect on the property. The World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies underscore the need for the wider setting of the property to be protected beyond the buffer zone.