Management and Conservation of the World Heritage Site

Under the terms of UNESCO's World Heritage Convention (1972), the responsibility for managing World Heritage Sites in the UK rests with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). 

However, day-to-day management activities are carried out at local level but Liverpool City Council maintains an on-going dialogue with DCMS and has consulted it on several major development proposals, to enable it, in turn, to consult the World Heritage Centre on them, if necessary.

Liverpool's Site includes over 8,000 addresses, so, in practice, a wide range of public agencies, private companies, community organisations and individuals have ownership and management responsibilities within it. 

The World Heritage Steering Group 
The World Heritage Steering Group is made up of representatives of the main public agencies that have management responsibilities for the Site. It prepared the Management Plan, champions it and carries forward its implementation. 

The Steering Group meets every three months. Most of the officers and organisations represented on the Steering Group have remained constant since 2002, although in 2005 the membership was extended to include the members of the World Heritage Marketing Task Force that had originally been established to raise the profile of the bid.

The World Heritage Officer 
The World Heritage Officer is employed by Liverpool City Council in the Conservation Team of the Planning Service, with the day-to-day responsibility for ensuring that World Heritage issues are fully considered. He provides the secretariat for the World Heritage Steering Group.

The World Heritage Site Management Plan
The key tool for managing the Liverpool World Heritage site is the Management Plan which was approved by the Steering Group, Liverpool City Council and the Secretary of State at the end of 2003, following extensive public consultation. 

The need to ensure an appropriate and equitable balance between conservation, sustainability and development has been fundamental to the preparation and implementation of the Management Plan. 

The Management Plan does not seek to prevent change, but seeks to achieve a responsible management of change.

Achieving a sustainable future for the Site depends upon those within it supporting the Management Plan and working in partnership to realise its objectives.