A decision on whether Armagh’s Navan Fort will secure UNESCO World Heritage status is expected in July 2031, while ABC Council continues work to find funding for the redevelopment of the popular visitor attraction.
The update was given to councillors during a presentation to the council’s economic development committee in October. Members were told that Navan Fort’s inclusion is considered essential to the Royal Sites of Ireland’s bid.
The council has also agreed to allocate up to £30,000 from existing budgets towards a pilot creative practice engagement project at Navan Fort. The project is intended to support the Royal Sites of Ireland UNESCO nomination process.
Navan Fort’s role in the UNESCO bid
Caitriona O’Connor, coordinator of the Royal Sites of Ireland Nomination Project and a representative of Tipperary County Council, outlined the next stages of the application.
The Royal Sites group includes Rathcroghan in County Roscommon, the Hill of Tara in County Meath, Dún Ailinne in County Kildare, Uisneach in County Westmeath and the Rock of Cashel in County Tipperary. Those five sites were placed on Ireland’s UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List in 2022.
Navan Fort is expected to be added to the UK’s World Heritage Tentative List in 2027. The eventual aim is to submit the full nomination in 2030, with the outcome expected to be known in July 2031.
Ms O’Connor said the tentative list was the first step towards applying for World Heritage status. Work now includes a comparative analysis study to justify Navan Fort’s inclusion, alongside conservation planning, an audit of survey data and the preparation of a draft preliminary assessment.
That assessment is due to be submitted to the UK Government for review before ultimately being sent to UNESCO. A request for a draft preliminary assessment is expected to be made at the end of this year.
Conservation, community involvement and potential benefits
The project team has already held a preliminary meeting with the planning authority about possible boundaries for the property and appointed a community engagement officer. Community involvement is regarded as an essential part of a successful World Heritage nomination, with the process needing to demonstrate that engagement to UNESCO.
The Royal Sites were first proposed for UNESCO status in 2010. Their significance is linked to well-preserved cultural continuity and large prehistoric, Iron Age and early medieval complexes associated with kingship and the development of power.
World Heritage status could bring international recognition and additional protection for the sites, as well as potential long-term socioeconomic benefits for surrounding communities. However, Ms O’Connor cautioned that the designation would not by itself guarantee conservation or economic success.
She said the benefits would depend on strong governance, funded visitor-site management, systems to capture benefits locally and adaptive monitoring. The nomination dossier will need to show that those arrangements are in place.
The next few years were described as important for building support and putting conservation mechanisms in place. Policy recommendations will also be developed during the process.
Masterplan and redevelopment work
SDLP councillor Thomas O’Hanlon said Navan Fort’s necessary role in the bid showed the importance of securing its place on the tentative list. He also asked council officers for an update on a masterplan for the site and whether the UNESCO ambitions could be linked with similar recognition being explored by Armagh Observatory and Planetarium.
Ms O’Connor said the Royal Sites team had been working closely with Professor Michael Burton at Armagh Observatory and Planetarium. She said both projects would have to go through the same stages and that discussions with ABC Council were being kept as joined up as possible.
Tourism Manager Sara McGeary told councillors that a £4.5 million development proposal for the Navan Centre had been submitted to the Levelling Up Fund in 2022 but was unsuccessful.
Despite that setback, a concept feasibility study remains available. Council officers are now working with estates and procurement colleagues to identify possible funding sources for a masterplan and to examine how a future project could be progressed.
Ms McGeary said potential funders had given positive feedback and would welcome a capital-development funding application for a masterplan at the Navan Centre. The proposal remains active.
Alliance councillor Peter Lavery said the presentation highlighted the borough’s cultural heritage and the importance of working collectively to achieve a successful outcome.