There are many cemeteries and memorial monuments in the Westhoek that attract hundreds of thousands of visitors every year and play a central role in the global memory of the First World War. These sites, including 27 that were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2023, are priceless and must be protected for future generations, it said.
Every authority that issues permits must adhere to this, unless it can be explicitly demonstrated that there is no impact on the heritage value. There were already applications from Luminus and Aspiravi near Ypres.