2. The Property Boundaries, Buffer Zone and Setting

The appropriate opportunity to review buffer zones or site boundaries is at full plan review stage. These boundaries refer to the geographic and cartographic data for the inscription held by the World Heritage property, the UK State Party and UNESCO. Proposed modifications of the property or buffer zone boundaries must be presented for formal consideration by the World Heritage Committee. Any changes subsequently made should be presented in sections 2.1 and 2.2.

Tool 3 in EOH 2.0 supports assessments of the adequacy of boundaries, and buffer zones (9) (10).

2.1 Property Boundary

To provide clarity around site boundaries, it is helpful to set out:

• The area of the property in hectares
• A narrative description of the property boundary and its physical character
• A map, or series of maps if a large or serial property, representing the boundary of the property as inscribed. It is recommended that the mapping is consistent with the 2023 UNESCO technical requirements (11)

2.2 Buffer Zone and Setting

The plan review process is an appropriate stage to consider whether a property needs a buffer zone, where this has not been present to date. If it is considered that a buffer zone is now necessary to provide added protection to the property in response to changing circumstances or context, its extent and position would require detailed consultation with national stakeholders. Any proposed buffer zone would also need to be evaluated by the relevant World Heritage Advisory Bodies, and submitted to the World Heritage Committee for formal consideration. Annex 11 of the Operational Guidelines explains the documentation and timescales required for proposals of this nature.

No World Heritage property exists in isolation from the surroundings in which it is experienced, this is known as its 'setting' (12). An understanding of the surroundings in which a World Heritage property is experienced and the relationship of its wider setting is an important consideration in the management of the WHS. Management beyond the property boundaries supports better protection of the property and better access to heritage benefits for the public.

A buffer zone may cover part of a property's setting but will not necessarily define its entirety. The extent of setting is not fixed and may change as the property and its surroundings evolve (13).

Setting may contribute to a property’s significance and OUV and can affect the ability to appreciate it. Contributions made by setting to the significance of a property can include views, above-ground features and buried archaeological remains; assets that are obscured or not readily visible may still influence the contribution of the setting to a property’s significance. As a result of these contributions, development/projects within the setting of a WHS may have the potential to impact upon attributes of OUV.

The Setting of Heritage Assets: Historic Environment Good Practice Advice in Planning Note 3 (Second Edition) provides guidance on the management of change within an asset's setting, and is relevant to World Heritage.

It is important to note that the protection and management of a buffer zone in the planning system is afforded by the area's local plan and any regional plans that may be in place. It is therefore critical that WHS management plans are as up to date as they can be to ensure that they can provide an adequate evidence base for local plan policy making.

A management plan can be used to articulate what elements of setting contribute to an understanding and appreciation of, or help convey, attributes of OUV. This can help with decisions around the need for boundary reviews or setting studies.

This section could include:

• The size of the buffer zone in hectares (where a buffer zone is present)
• A map(s) of appropriate scale representing the boundary of the buffer zone as inscribed
• The rationale for the addition, or change in boundary, of a buffer zone, following a review of the previous management plan
• The rationale for the absence of a buffer zone and how impacts on the property from within its surroundings are managed via other means (including in policy terms)
• An explanation as to how a site's setting contributes to its significance and to attributes of OUV. Equally, negative features which detract from OUV or significance should be identified. This should include a description of significant features of the setting, such as (but not limited to) its physical characteristics and relationships with other heritage assets (including buildings, structures, landscapes, archaeological remains), intangible associations with the property and patterns of use, the contribution made by noise, odour, vibration (for instance traffic would be a detractor to setting in this regard), and the way in which views allow the property's significance and OUV to be appreciated (14). Contributions may be positive, negative or neutral and may change over time
• The contribution of setting is often expressed by reference to views. It would be useful to consider how defined viewing places ascertain the historical relationships between heritage assets to establish whether they contribute to the view; consideration of how visibility and appearance of heritage assets may change as an observer moves around (kinetic views); and seasonal and diurnal changes

Footnotes

9. In relation to elements of a World Heritage property management system, 'adequacy' refers to how well the element is supporting the continued maintenance of OUV and other values
10. UNESCO., ICCROM., ICOMOS., and IUCN. 'Enhancing Our Heritage Toolkit 2.0', 40-45
11. See https://whc.unesco.org/en/retrospective-inventory/
12. Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (2024). 'National Planning Policy Framework', GOV.UK, Annex 2: Glossary. (Accessed 19 February 2025)
13. Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (2024). 'National Planning Policy Framework', GOV.UK, Annex 2: Glossary (PDF). (Accessed 19 February 2025)
14. Historic England (2017). 'The Setting of Heritage Assets: Historic Environment Good Practice Advice in Planning Note 3 (Second Edition)'. (Accessed 19 February 2025)