World Heritage

We have a long history of supporting World Heritage Sites at all stages of their evolution and development, from earliest thinking about the nature of a nomination, through the nomination process itself and into long-term management of change within and around sites. This has given us clear insights into the actual benefits, challenges and opportunities afforded by WHS status.

We offer a range of services including:

We have worked with a number of organisations to review the feasibility and potential benefits / issues associated with nominating places for World Heritage Status. Examples include work for: 

• Port Sunlight, England

• Charles Rennie Mackintosh buildings, Scotland

• Chatham Dockyard & Defences, England

• Shakespeare’s Stratford, England

• Chankillo Archaeological Park, Peru

• English Lake District, England

Rather uniquely for a private sector consultancy we have considerable experience of supporting the preparation of nomination dossiers for WH Sites, including: 

• Liverpool - Maritime Mercantile City WHS

• Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew WHS

• Singapore Botanic Gardens WHS

• Darwin’s Landscape Laboratory

• Wearmouth-Jarrow Monastic Sites (not yet nominated)

• Chatham Dockyard & Defences (not yet nominated)

We have a strong track record in developing management and conservation plans that strike a sustainable balance between conservation, visitor experience and wider social-economic needs.  Examples include: 

• Liverpool Maritime Mercantile City WHS Management Plan

• Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew WHS Conservation Plan and Management Plans

• Singapore Botanic Gardens WHS Management Plan

• Aflaj Irrigations Systems of Oman WHS Management Plan

• Stonehenge & Avebury WHS Management Plans

• Giant’s Causeway WHS Management Plan

• Tower of London WHS Management Plan

• Durham Castle & Cathedral WHS Management Plan

• Blaenavon Industrial Landscape WHS Management Plan

• Archaeological Site of Cyrene, Libya WHS Management Plan

• Jodrell Bank Observatory WHS Conservation Plan

• Palace of Westminster, Westminster Abbey and St Margaret’s Church WHS Management Plan

Change within and around WHSs is inevitable, what is critical is that that change supports the long-term conservation of a Site’s OUV and our ability to understand and appreciate the site.  We have considerable experience in developing the policy frameworks and guiding development proposals within and around sites. This includes work relating to tall buildings.

Examples include:

• Tall Buildings planning document for the Liverpool Maritime Mercantile City WHS

• Setting study for the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew WHS

• Setting study for the candidate Wearmouth-Jarrow site

• Commercial and educational development in the setting of the Durham Castle & Cathedral WHS

• Landscape assessment and guidelines for the Lake District

• New herbarium at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew WHS

• Development analysis for housing allocations near Blenheim Palace WHS

• Expert witness services challenging tall buildings around the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew WHS

• New visitor centre at Stonehenge WHS

Tourism, when correctly managed, can be an enabler for the conservation of a WHS and an economic and social support for local communities. We have developed a number of tourism and visitor experience masterplans and landscape designs for Sites all of which delivered bold, sensitive and commercially viable outcomes.

Examples include:

• Stonehenge WHS

• Mada'in Saleh WHS, KSA

• Padua Botanic Gardens WHS

• Heart of Neolithic Orkney WHS

• Aflaj Irrigations Systems of Oman WHS

• Maritime Greenwich WHS – Old Royal Naval College

• Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew WHS

• Edinburgh Castle WHS

• Hadrian’s Wall WHS

• Bru na Boinne WHS – Boyne Valley

• Liverpool WHS – Waterfront Interreg Project