WILLEMSTAD – Curaçao’s Monument Council has raised serious concerns over a preliminary agreement for a new construction project at Westwerf in Otrobanda, warning that the approval process may be legally flawed and could put Willemstad’s UNESCO World Heritage status at risk.
In a critical advisory opinion, the Monument Council questioned whether the government properly followed legal requirements before granting the principle agreement for the proposed development.
According to the council, a legally required balancing of interests appears to be missing — a key requirement under Curaçao’s spatial planning laws.
The proposed building would be located in the protected historic urban landscape of Historic Area of Willemstad, Inner City and Harbour, Curaçao, a UNESCO World Heritage site recognized for its unique architectural and historical value.
The council says the planned structure significantly deviates from the urban and architectural rules that protect the city’s historic character.
Under the current proposal, the building would rise up to 22 meters, with a large rectangular mass and scale that, according to the council, does not fit the traditional visual and architectural identity of Willemstad’s historic center.
The council also warned that the project would eliminate important open sightlines that currently form part of the city’s visual heritage.
At the center of the dispute is Article 20 of Curaçao’s Island Development Plan (EOP), which generally allows replacement construction only within the volume of existing buildings.
Exceptions are possible, but only after a formal and careful weighing of public and heritage interests.
That process, the Monument Council says, is either absent or has not been made public.
The council is now demanding answers.
On what legal and policy grounds was the principle agreement granted?
Which interests were considered stronger than the protected heritage value of the area?
And why?
Without those answers, the council says democratic oversight becomes impossible.
Beyond the legal concerns, the Monument Council says the issue has international implications.
Willemstad’s UNESCO status is directly tied to the preservation of its historic urban landscape.
Major developments that clash with that heritage could trigger scrutiny from UNESCO and potentially affect the city’s world heritage designation.
That possibility, the council argues, should not be taken lightly.
The warning comes as Curaçao continues balancing economic development and urban renewal with heritage preservation, particularly in historic districts like Otrobanda and Punda.
The Monument Council stressed that this is not merely a planning dispute.
It is also a governance issue.
Transparency in decision-making, the council said, is not optional but a legal and democratic necessity.
The government has not yet publicly responded to the council’s concerns.