World Heritage Site

The Palace of Westminster and Westminster Abbey, including St Margaret’s Church was inscribed as a cultural World Heritage Site in 1987. 

The inclusion of this group of buildings on the world heritage list makes them one of 1092 sites worldwide considered to have ‘Outstanding Universal Value’ as part of the world’s cultural and natural heritage. The Statement of Outstanding Universal Value, sets out the qualities and characteristics of the site which make it internationally important.

If you intend to submit an application for development which may affect the Outstanding Universal Value of the Site, this will normally need to be accompanied by a Heritage Statement which follows the ICOMOS HIA guidance.

The World Heritage Centre may also need to be notified. To ensure all the relevant stakeholders are involved, we recommend you seek pre-application advice.

Westminster World Heritage SiteSteering Group

The World Heritage Site Steering Group provides co-ordination between the landowners and stakeholders with an interest in the site. The terms of reference and minutes of recent meetings are below.

Further information

Further information and documents about Westminster World Heritage Site can be found at UNESCO.

For detailed information on the individual buildings within the site, their architecture and history, see Westminster Abbey and Palace of Westminster.

World Heritage UK provides useful advice and resources for policy and information on all UK World Heritage Sites.