The World Heritage Site Management plan sets out the approach to management of the site for a six year period. The 2010 plan updates and replaces the original 2003 document.
Bath is a complex site, encompassing an entire living city of 85,000 people where modern life co-exists alongside historic cultural and natural assets of global significance. Achieving balance between conservation and community needs is the constant challenge which this plan addresses.
The Plan sets out:
- Why Bath is a World Heritage Site
- The issues facing the Site, and the corresponding management objectives
- Actions to achieve the objectives
The reasons for Bath’s inscription as a World Heritage Site are defined by what are termed as the ‘Outstanding Universal Values’. These are listed on the World Heritage home page.
A main aim of the plan is to ensure that the Outstanding Universal Values of the Site and its setting are understood, protected and sustained. It should be noted from this that the plan addresses Bath as a World Heritage Site, and is not a management plan for every aspect of life in the city, and that whilst the boundary of the site covers the whole city, it also affects the setting of the site in the countryside immediately beyond.
UNESCO, the body overseeing World Heritage, requires all Sites to have a management plan.
The plan was endorsed by Full Council on 16 November 2010, by the Steering Group on 23 November and by Single Cabinet Member decision on 29 December 2010. The plan was then passed to Department Culture, Media and Sport who in turn forwarded it to UNESCO on 1 February 2011. UNESCO then asked their advisor, ICOMOS International, to comment on the plan, and the their comments are with the Council and being addressed. There is no known date for formal adoption and due to this lengthy process, the plan is labelled as a draft. However, endorsement by local bodies and full public consultation gives it considerable weight as a material consideration in the planning process.