Consultation outcome

Government response to the UK Tentative List review

Updated 4 July 2023

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Executive summary

Following a comprehensive process, the new UK Tentative List was announced by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay, Minister for Heritage, on Monday 10 April.

The 2023 UK Tentative List comprises:

  • Birkenhead the People’s Park (Cultural site)
  • East Atlantic Flyway – England East Coast Wetlands (Natural site)
  • The Flow Country (Natural site)
  • Gracehill Moravian Church Settlements (Cultural, Transnational site)
  • Little Cayman Marine Parks and Protected Areas (Natural site)
  • York (Cultural site)
  • The Zenith of Iron Age Shetland (Cultural site)

New sites to the list will continue to develop their nominations, then undergo a mandatory UNESCO preliminary assessment and UK technical evaluation before submitting their nominations to UNESCO.

Following the review of the Tentative List, the UK State Party reconfirms its commitment to support UNESCO’s efforts to rebalance the global list, by focusing on areas underrepresented on the global list and by supporting other States Parties in developing their nominations.

Heritage sites considering designations can read guidance on transnational or transboundary nominations and UNESCO and UK heritage designations.

1. Background

1.1 UNESCO and the 1972 World Heritage Convention

The United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) was founded in London in 1945 and is a specialised agency of the United Nations.

The lead government department on UNESCO is the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, while the Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) leads on cultural issues and World Heritage policy and is responsible for the UK’s implementation of the Convention.

The UK is home to 195 UNESCO sites and projects including Creative Cities, Biospheres and Geoparks alongside World Heritage Sites. Although different in nature and focus, UNESCO designations are united in their efforts to enhance peace, sustainable development, and foster a better understanding of the world.

The World Heritage Convention recognises that the primary responsibility for the care and conservation of world heritage belongs to individual states and in joining the Convention, each government recognises its duty to protect World Heritage. As signatory to the Convention the UK government is the State Party and is committed to its implementation.

The UK ratified the UNESCO 1972 World Heritage Convention in 1984 and, as of the time of the 2022/23 Tentative List Review, has 33 UK, Crown Dependency and Overseas Territory World Heritage Sites. For details see the UK State Party page on the UNESCO World Heritage Centre website.

1.2 Tentative Lists

The UK Tentative List contains the sites which can potentially be nominated for UNESCO World Heritage status. Only sites included on the Tentative List can progress for nomination to the World Heritage List.

UNESCO recommends State Parties review their Tentative List every 10 years. The last UK Tentative List review was in 2021.

The 2021 Tentative List contained 13 sites. Since 2011, 6 UK sites have been presented and inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.  Of these, 5 were drawn from the 2011 Tentative List and one was a transnational site (led by Czechia) that was requested in October 2013, The Great Spa Towns of Europe (City of Bath).

Fig 1.  Outcomes of the UK’s 2011 Tentative List review 

Tentative List Site  Technical Evaluation Result
Bath Spa (Transnational addition in 2014)** 2015 Inscribed 2021 (under The Great Spa Towns of Europe)
Chatham Dockyard 2013  
Creswell Crags 2012  
Darwin’s Landscape Laboratory   Encouraged to explore UNESCO Memory of the World as an alternative
Flow Country 2013, 2015, 2020 Live site expected to proceed to nomination in 2023
Forth Bridge 2012 Nominated. Inscribed 2015
Gorham’s Cave, Gibraltar 2012 Nominated. Inscribed 2016
Gracehill Moravian Church Settlement (Transnational addition in 2022)** 2022 Live site expected to proceed to nomination led by US in 2023
Island of St Helena    
Jodrell Bank Observatory 2013, 2015, 2017 Nominated. Inscribed 2019
Lake District 2013 Nominated. Inscribed 2017
Mousa, Old Scatness and Jarlshof of Shetland 2013  
Slate Landscape of North West Wales 2015, 2017, 2018 Nominated. Inscribed 2021
Turks and Caicos Islands    
Twin Monastery of Monkwearmouth Jarrow 2013  

*The Technical Evaluation by an independent expert panel was a measure introduced on the 2011 Panel’s recommendation to test the strength and viability of a nomination and to offer feedback. 

**It is State Party policy since 2011 for transnational sites to be considered for inclusion on the UK Tentative List outside of the formal review periods when the nomination is being led by another State Party.

2. 2022/23 UK Tentative List Review

2.1 Process

DCMS published an open online call for submissions on 26 March 2022 with a deadline of 9 May 2022 for Expressions of Interest, and 15 July 2022 for full applications.  

Two open online information sessions were held on 31 March and 11 April to provide more information about World Heritage site status.  Following the Expression of Interest stage, 2 online workshops were held on 25 April and 17 May to provide more detailed information and support for completing the full application.  

With the exception of the Flow Country and Gracehill in Northern Ireland (now progressing as a transnational site known as ‘Moravian Church Settlements’) whose nominations were due to be submitted in February 2023, sites on the existing Tentative List were invited to re-apply so as to be assessed on an equal footing with new candidate sites.  

Expressions of Interest for the Independent Expert Panel to assess the applications were invited from relevant professionals working with cultural heritage, cultural landscapes and natural heritage.

Panel members were selected in recognition of their complementary range of academic and professional expertise as well as their ability to represent all parts of the UK.

2.2 Approach

Since 1984 the World Heritage Committee has recognised that whilst the list is growing, the list is unbalanced – regionally and thematically.

The Global Strategy for a representative, balanced and credible World Heritage List was published in 1994 alongside gap analyses and thematic studies from two of the World Heritage Centre’s Advisory Bodies, ICOMOS and IUCN, to try to understand and identify un-represented or under-represented categories.  These UNESCO studies, as well as external research and analyses, all advocate a rebalancing between global regions, between the representation of particular ‘types’ of heritage and harmonising the List at regional and thematic levels.

A cross-governmental Steering Group supported the UK’s approach established in 2011 to only nominate one site every 2 years and to retain the emphasis on natural rather than cultural properties as far as possible in recognition of the relative number of World Heritage sites in the UK and the ongoing issue of imbalance on the World Heritage List.

The following assessment criteria were agreed to guide the Independent Expert Panel:

  • inscription would support one or more of the UK’s 3 priority areas: Natural Sites, Mixed Sites, Sites in Overseas Territories
  • inscription would address a particular gap or underrepresented area or theme on the World Heritage List
  • above all, and in whatever category, every site would still need to demonstrate significant potential for Outstanding Universal Value in order to be considered for the Tentative List

2.3 The 2023 UK Tentative List

The new UK Tentative List was announced by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay, Minister for Heritage, on Monday 10 April 2023:

Birkenhead Park, the pioneering People’s Park (Cultural site) - a pioneering and influential model for local authority funded urban parks.

East Atlantic Flyway – England East Coast Wetlands (Natural site) - a globally important site for migratory waterbirds.

Gracehill Moravian Church Settlements (Cultural site) - a Northern Ireland transnational nomination with sites in Denmark, US and Germany that exemplify the Moravian Church’s spiritual, societal and ethical ideals. Nomination submitted to UNESCO in February 2023.

The Flow Country (Natural site) - globally rare large area of blanket bog in the North of Scotland. Nomination submitted to UNESCO in February 2023.

Little Cayman Marine Parks and Protected Areas (Natural site) - an exceptional marine ecosystem in terms of biodiversity and natural beauty in the UK’s Overseas Territories.

York (Cultural site) - a city and its civic and religious buildings and archaeology.

The Zenith of Iron Age Shetland (Cultural site) - three exceptional Iron Age sites in the South Mainland, Shetland, Scotland.

Creswell Crags, the English site which contains evidence of Palaeolithic populations living near the northern limit of the European range during the Ice Age, was proposed as the lead of a transnational nomination with a network of similar European sites, although there was insufficient information about the partner sites to include the site on the UK Tentative List at this stage. However, given the site had been included on the 2012 Tentative List as a standalone site and so had already shown the potential to demonstrate Outstanding Universal Value, the site is invited to return once the wider bid has been developed in order to be considered for inclusion, prior to the next Tentative List review.

2.4 Next steps

The 5 new sites on the Tentative List will develop their bids and nomination dossier.

Preliminary Assessment

The Preliminary Assessment is an early-stage mandatory desk-based process carried out by UNESCO. It is designed to help to establish the feasibility of a potential nomination and provide guidance on the potential of a site to justify Outstanding Universal Value, including integrity and/or authenticity, and, if information is provided, on the requirements for protection and management.

Sites must be on the Tentative List for a minimum of 1 year before applying for a Preliminary Assessment.

Technical Evaluation

When sites have completed their draft nomination, they will take part in a Technical Evaluation. This is a process for sites on the UK Tentative List only.

An independent expert panel will be invited by the Minister for Heritage to assess the draft nomination dossier and to provide feedback to the site, plus advice to the State Party as to whether the bid is ready to progress to nomination to the World Heritage Centre.

Nomination assessment

When the site has passed the Technical Evaluation and finished the draft, the nomination dossier can be submitted to UNESCO. This must be a minimum of 1 year following the receipt of the outcome of the Preliminary Assessment.

Once the nomination has been accepted as complete it will be assessed by the expert advisory bodies to UNESCO. This includes a site visit usually scheduled later in the same year as the nomination was submitted.

The expert advisory bodies will complete a report with a draft decision on whether to inscribe the site on to the World Heritage List. This report and draft decision will be published prior to the next World Heritage Committee meeting (usually June / July) in the year after the nomination has been submitted, where a decision will be taken whether to inscribe the site.

3. Future UK approach to World Heritage

Following the Tentative List Review, the UK State Party is setting out principles to inform future approaches to World Heritage in the UK.

3.1 Future nominations

The UK State Party restates its commitment to support UNESCO’s efforts to rebalance the global list.

Having placed only 5 new sites on the current Tentative List, the UK State Party will look to continue with a small number for future Tentative Lists focusing on quality over quantity.

The UK State Party will focus on areas underrepresented on the global list where the UK can best contribute. These are expected to include natural heritage and sites in our Overseas Territories, though will not necessarily exclude cultural sites.

The UK State Party will work to help identify specific under-represented areas and explore how it can support potential sites in these areas.

3.2 Support for other countries

The UK State Party will continue and expand its offer to support other States Parties developing nominations for World Heritage status. This support will focus on countries who are underrepresented on the World Heritage List or have less capacity or expertise, such as Small Island Developing States, to develop their nominations.

3.3 Existing World Heritage Sites in the UK

The UK State Party will provide further support and guidance for managing World Heritage Sites in the UK and responding to threats and challenges such as development and climate change.

4. Guidance for heritage sites

4.1 Guidance for UK components of a transnational or transboundary future nomination

For full guidance, see Guidance for UK components of a transnational or transboundary future nomination.

4.2 Guidance for UNESCO and UK heritage designations

In addition to World Heritage, there are a number of other UNESCO designations that heritage sites in the UK may consider. These include Global Geoparks, Biosphere Reserves and Creative Cities.

For further information on these and other opportunities to join a global network of UNESCO sites working to promote UNESCO’s values in the UK, visit the UK National Commission for UNESCO website.

The organisations responsible for decisions on designating heritage assets, and on providing advice regarding such assets, are:

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