WILLEMSTAD – Four heritage organizations in Curaçao have informed UNESCO about their concerns regarding new construction projects in the historic center of Willemstad, warning that large developments could threaten the character of the city and potentially its World Heritage status.
The organizations — NV Stadsherstel Willemstad, Stichting Pro-Monumento, Stichting DoCoMoMo and the Monumentenraad Curaçao — say the Ministry of Traffic, Transport and Spatial Planning has been granting permits for buildings that are too large for the historic surroundings.
According to the groups, Article 4 of the Island Development Plan (EOP), which regulates construction within the historic cityscape, is not being properly applied by the ministry’s Urban Development and Spatial Planning Unit (UO-ROP).
The organizations argue that in recent years building permits and preliminary approvals have been granted for projects that exceed the scale normally allowed in the historic parts of Willemstad.
Willemstad has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1997 due to what is described as its “Outstanding Universal Value,” reflecting the unique architectural and historical significance of the city.
The heritage groups fear that large-scale new construction could undermine those historical qualities and damage the visual integrity of the city center.
In a letter sent to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre in Paris and to the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands, the organizations identified six specific projects that they believe do not comply with Article 4 of the Island Development Plan but nonetheless received preliminary approval or building permits.
The organizations stressed that their concerns are not directed at project developers themselves, but rather at how the rules intended to protect Willemstad’s historic urban landscape are being interpreted and applied by the government.