THE LONG-awaited development set to revive Hayle's waterfront could put the town's place as a Mining World Heritage site at risk when UN representatives meet in Cambodia this week.
Planning permission has been granted to the harbour's owner, Dutch firm ING, to build a new supermarket, 30 homes, a waterfront restaurant and shops on South Quay, which has been derelict for 30 years.
ING is currently in negotiations with Asda about building a supermarket which would create up to 270 full and part-time jobs.
However, Hayle is also a key part of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) Cornwall and Devon World Heritage site because of its foundry and the port, from where tin and copper were shipped around the world.
South Quay is central to that and the planned development has angered some conservation groups.
Last year English Heritage recommended the Government's Department of Culture, Media and Sport "call in" the decision.
That didn't happen but this week the Unesco World Heritage Committee meets to discuss concerns over a number of sites, including whether the plan to put an Asda on South Quay could damage its value as a historic site.
On Monday an English Heritage spokesperson told The Cornishman: "English Heritage regrets that the Secretary of State decided not to call in the application for development on the South Quay at Hayle for his determination.
"We believe the effect on the Cornwall and West Devon Mining World Heritage site is such that it affects the UK's national obligations to the Unesco World Heritage Convention, which we believe justifies consideration of the scheme at the national level."
Unesco's advisory bodies have urged the committee to "consider placing the property on the List of World Heritage in Danger" if the project goes ahead as planned.
If the area is put on an endangered list then Unesco would work with the UK government on "a programme for corrective measures, and subsequently to monitor the situation of the site", a spokeswoman said.
Deborah Boden, the World Heritage Site's Cornwall co-ordinator, said: "In theory they could say Hayle Harbour has been negatively impacted and decide to remove the status from the whole of the site. I doubt they would do that.
"It's only a small part of the much wider 20,000-hectare World Heritage site across Cornwall and west Devon."
Cornwall Council says money generated from the development would be used to improve the harbour.
Head of planning Phil Mason said: "The really important thing is the community of Hayle."
