Many residents and citizens of Kyoto City are distressed by the proposed hotel.
We have sent by airmail a letter of request from residents opposing the building of a large hotel in front of the gate of Ninnaji Temple, a world heritage site in the ancient capital of Kyoto.
Dear Dr Mechtild Rössler
We are residents of the buffer zone of Ninnaji Temple (Omuro Kinugasa Special Preservation Area), one of the components of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities).
The area in front of the Ninnaji temple is a quiet residential area and we cannot agree with the construction of large accommodation facilities for the wealthy in this area.
Many residents fear that the problems caused by over-tourism in Kyoto before the Corona disaster, such as traffic jams, congestion and delays in public transport, will happen again. It is an experience that residents will never want to have again.
We are also distressed that the beautiful landscape around Ninnaji Temple, which has been nurtured by generations of people, will be ruined by a building that is not in keeping with the sense of place.
Great landscapes are the treasures of the world. We want to protect and pass on to future generations the richness of our natural, living, cultural and educational environment.
We feel compelled to point out that the Kyoto City authorities have neglected the significance of the fifth C (Community), which was proposed by the New Zealand delegation below and added to the Strategic objectives of World Heritage Committee in 2007.
The Importance of the Role of Community We reiterate the important role of communities, including local communities and indigenous peoples, in the implementation of the World Heritage Convention, in accordance with one of its five strategic objectives, the fifth “C” adopted in 2007, and the Strategic Action Plan 2012-2022.
The scope of the local residents to whom the City of Kyoto and the developers explained the construction of the hotel was very narrow (see the map attached). Only a small percentage of the residents living in the buffer zone were informed of the details of the project and were able to express their opinions and ask questions. The Kyoto City authorities should explain to all citizens and ask for their opinion on the proposal to invite large commercial facilities in the buffer zone. In January 2020, 500 residents of the area wrote a letter to the city asking for listening to the opinion of all residents in the buffer zone, but this was not heard.
We must point out that the proposed hotel is a departure from the 5 Cs, the strategic objectives for the implementation of the World Heritage Site.
We urge the World Heritage Centre to investigate the plans and recommend to the Kyoto City authorities “not to grant permission for the construction”.
We have also sent this request to the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS).
yours sincerely,
コメント