Capital's world heritage status safe as Unesco gives the nod to demolitions

Published on Saturday 15 November 2008 18:42

THE threat of losing one of Scotland's five world heritage sites was averted last night after Unesco delegates announced the capital's status was safe.

Inspectors visited Edinburgh last week to investigate the planned demolition of two listed buildings. But the status of the Scottish capital was declared to be out of danger after Unesco said the demolition was an "exceptional" situation.

Dr Mechtild Rossler, European chief of cultural world heritage sites, said she was satisfied with the controversial plan to demolish two C-listed buildings in a 300m development near the Royal Mile. Although she will not issue a report until next June, Rossler believed she "could not say this case damages the world heritage value", though she added the developers, Mountgrange, had ignored people's concerns about the project.

The Old and New Towns of Edinburgh, prime examples of medieval and Georgian architecture, were added to Scotland's world heritage sites in 1995. The other sites are the heart of neolithic Orkney, the 18th-century cotton mill in New Lanark, St Kilda, and the Antonine Wall, the most northerly rampart of the Roman empire between the Firth of Forth and the Clyde.

Rossler and Professor Manfred Wehdorn were sent to Edinburgh after the Royal Heritage Committee received reports that developers had been given permission to demolish the former Canongate School and part of the Old Sailors Ark building, both in Canongate, without their consent.

"We are unhappy about demolition wherever it happens, and we said very clearly that listed buildings shouldn't be demolished, and when it can be proved they have not a very high value this should be the exception," said Rossler.

"These are C-listed buildings and there are examples by the same architects and of the same period close by. I don't believe the world heritage committee likes the idea, but it's a very unusual situation."

A spokeswoman for Save Our Old Town, a group fighting the Caltongate development, said the group had sent Unesco 400 letters. She did not believe the delegates could allow listed buildings to be demolished.

But an Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce spokesman said: "We can't just keep history for its own sake, it's got to be of value to the people. These buildings will be replaced by much better facilities."