Dresden's is likely to have its UNESCO World Heritage title revoked, after city planners decided to go ahead with a disputed bridge-building project that conservationists say will ruin the skyline.

The drawn-out saga of Dresden's UNESCO World Cultural Heritage status seems to be coming to an end. Observers expect the UNESCO committee to strike a stretch of the Elbe Valley in Dresden off its list this week.

The move would make Dresden just the second site to lose its status since the World Heritage list was created in 1972.