A young woman investigates goods on sale at a gift shop in a repurposed industrial building.
The ground floor bookshop at Salt’s Mill in Saltaire World Heritage Site. © Historic England
The ground floor bookshop at Salt’s Mill in Saltaire World Heritage Site. © Historic England

Protection and Management of World Heritage Sites

The protection and management system for a World Heritage property reflects all the measures put in place to ensure its status can be maintained.

To demonstrate Outstanding Universal Value (OUV), each World Heritage property must have an adequate protection and management system to ensure its safeguarding.

The Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention (the Operational Guidelines) offer guidance on key issues, processes, and procedures in the application of the Convention. A strong protection and management system will deliver the capability to anticipate and manage change at a property, employing a value-led approach that invests in the relationship between heritage and society.

An effective management system can take a range of forms, depending on the nature of the property and its needs. Paragraphs 96-119 of the Operational Guidelines provide detailed information on the protection and management requirements which a site must satisfy.

Management Planning

The Operational Guidelines require every nominated property to have an appropriate Management Plan or documented management system which specifies how the OUV of a property will be preserved (Paragraph 108).

A management plan is the central instrument for protection and management of a WHS and must specify how the OUV of the site is to be preserved and, whenever possible, enhanced.

Management plans are usually adopted or formally endorsed by the bodies involved in their production and/or implementation. In England, they are a material consideration in the planning process.

It is recommended that management plans are reviewed and updated regularly to ensure they remain effective.

Statement and Attributes of Outstanding Universal Value

Since 2007, the World Heritage Committee has adopted a Statement of Outstanding Universal Value (SOUV) when a property is inscribed on the World Heritage List. Retrospective Statements were adopted for properties inscribed before 2008.

SOUVs provide a clear, shared understanding of the reasons for the property's inscription, and form the baseline for future management of the property. Proposals for change at a property will need to be evaluated on the basis of the SOUV.

All World Heritage Sites should also have defined attributes of OUV, drawn from the content of the SOUV and usually set out in detail in the property's Management Plan. Attributes and values are the physical and intangible elements that convey a property's OUV and make it understandable. Their spatial distribution will help define where the boundary of the property is located.

Once agreed, attributes and values are the focus of actions to ensure the protection and management of OUV. They form the basis for the assessment of impacts on a property's OUV, authenticity (Operational Guidelines, Paragraphs 79-86) and integrity (Operational Guidelines Paragraphs 87-95). UNESCO's 2022 publication, 'Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessments in a World Heritage Context' provides detailed guidance on the implementation of the required assessment process.

For World Heritage Properties in England

World Heritage Protection in the English Planning System

Protection for World Heritage in England is provided by a combination of the spatial planning system and national designations (for example, listed buildings, scheduled monuments, sites of special scientific interest (SSSI) that cover elements, if not the whole, of the site. The heritage significance of a World Heritage Site (its 'outstanding universal value') may be reflected, at least in part, in the significance of any listed building, scheduled monument, SSSI, or other heritage asset that forms part of it where this relates to its OUV. The provisions and protections under the planning system that apply to any such elements within a World Heritage Site are an important element, ensuring that the outstanding universal value of the World Heritage Site is recognised and taken into account.

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) sets out the planning policies for the historic environment. The Planning Practice Guidance (PPG) offers detailed guidance explaining how those policies are expected to be implemented. Both documents are material considerations in the planning process.

World Heritage Sites are considered designated heritage assets under the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023 and the NPPF clarifies that they are considered to be of the highest significance (Paragraphs 195, 206b). To ensure that they are prioritised in decision making 'great weight' is afforded to the conservation of World Heritage properties' significance (NPPF Paragraph 205, 206b). As the more important the asset the greater the weight it attracts, the conservation of World Heritage Sites attracts the greatest weight of all amongst designated heritage assets (NPPF Paragraph 205, 206b).

World Heritage Sites may also have a buffer zone, an area surrounding the inscribed property which has complementary legal restrictions placed on its use and development to give an additional layer of protection to the property. The addition of a buffer zone to a site requires consideration by the World Heritage Committee. A buffer zone is protected in the same manner as the inscribed site through the English planning system.

Resources for Protection and Management

For World Heritage Properties in England

Historic England Resources

A Historic England Advisory Note (HEAN) on Managing Change to World Heritage Sites is expected to enter public consultation in early 2025. Historic England guidance on the production of World Heritage Site management plans is also in development.

Operational Guidelines

The Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention present the criteria for the inscription of properties on the World Heritage List, requirements for their continued management and details of the provision of international assistance. These are periodically revised to reflect Committee decisions so it is important to ensure reference is made to the latest published version.

Resources for Protection and Management

The World Heritage Resource Manual Series offers focused support for specific obligations for States Parties and World Heritage site managers. They provide guidance on how all those involved in the care of World Heritage Sites can comply with the requirements of the World Heritage Convention. The series is a joint endeavour by The World Heritage Centre and ICCROM, ICOMOS and IUCN, the three Advisory Bodies to the World Heritage Committee. Currently, the series includes six publications:

Historic England has produced a briefing on the Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessments in a World Heritage Context to introduce these documents and explain how they can be utilised.

The World Heritage Centre also publishes a range of further resources on its website, including information on nomination dossiers, requests for international assistance and the integration of sustainable development into the processes of the Convention.

Information on resources regarding World Heritage and Climate Change, including UNESCO's 'Policy Document on Climate Action for World Heritage', can be found on the World Heritage and Climate Change page.