Four projects on UNESCO World Heritage site put on hold

Four major government development projects have been put on hold – they fall in the buffer zone of the UNESCO World Heritage site of the Aapravasi Ghat.

The Aapravasi Ghat is a World Heritage Site located on the Bay of Trou Fanfaron in Port Louis. This historical site served as an immigration depot by the colonial British government in 1849.

According to the regulations of the UNESCO, any development project within the buffer zone of a World Heritage Site must first obtain its approval.

The four projects include the renovation of the butcher’s section of the Central Market, the renovation of the Intercontinental Museum of Slavery, the construction of a twenty-storey building to house the Immigration Terminal and the final stop of the light rail transit system.

According to officials, a Visual Impact Assessment and a Heritage Impact Assessment have been drafted and sent to the UNESCO for approval.