World-beating heritage and driving new age of prosperity

THIS month, I established the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Unesco World Heritage Sites and was elected its chair.

- JONATHAN DAVIES

This group will give a powerful new voice to the places in the UK with heritage of global significance - places that tell important stories in the history of civilisation.

The group has cross-party support from parliamentarians who are concerned that some British world heritage sites could be dropped by Unesco.

Unesco world heritage sites articulate the pinnacle of human existence and the best of the natural world. Britain has 35 such sites - including Stonehenge, Durham Cathedral, Hadrian's Wall and the Tower of London.

The special reasons these sites were designated of global importance must be safeguarded for future generations. This group will campaign for that.

World Heritage UK president Chris Blandford OBE, who is supporting the new group, said: “World heritage sites are globally significant places - the best of the best of our cultural and natural heritage inheritance.

“They can contribute to government objectives for growth, tourism, wellbeing, regeneration, education and sustainability. However, their potential is often unfulfilled.