I would like to start a follow-up to the discussion Solivagant opened during the 2018 WHC: is it still possible to deem a cultural site as lacking OUV and rejecting it altogether? Solivagant suggested, and I tend to agree, that nowadays almost every site can be rescued by the way it is packaged.
We thought it might be worthwhile having a look at sites that failed to get inscribed in the past. Here is such a list including all such cultural sites. I purposely left the natural candidates out, as IUCN seems to be more rigorous (it doesn't have to take ethnocentrism into account). Natural sites deemed as lacking OUV can be got rid of more easily, it seems. I also left sites REFERRED by the WHC as these are sites for which OUV is recognised, but other aspects of the nomination should be rectified.
I put in bold sites I know are out and in italics sites that I know are still in.

Herat - def 1983
Durres - rej 1991
Buenos Aires/La Plata - La Plata withd 2007
Noravank - rej 2006
Bregenzerwald - def 2007
Innsbruck - withd 2005
Hall in Tirol - withd 2015
Dilmun - withd 2017
Augustow - withd 2010
Polatsk - withd 2007
Incallajta - def 2006
Sarajevo - rej 2007
Jajce - withd 2009
Parati - def 2009
Plovdiv - withd 2006
Bourzanga - rej 1980
Metallurgie - Kindiba rej 1980
Koh Ker - def 1979
Zadar - withd 2016
Cesky Raj - withd 2004
Trebon - def 2005
Erzgebirge - withd 2016
Velke Losiny - withd 2007
Slavonice - withd 2006
Great Moravia - withd 2014
Karlstejn - def 1992
Luhacovice - def 2008
Zatec - def 2018
Trelleborg - as part of Viking serial def 2015
Coloniales azucareros - Engombe def 2005
Ciudad vieja/La Bermuda - def 1983
Kuressaare - def 2004
Melka Kunture - def 1981
Paimio - withd 2007
Nimes - def 2018
Rouen - def 1995
Kokino - withd 2012
Francke Foundation - withd 2016
Altona - withd 2018
Tenzug-Tallensi - def 2014
Pilgrimage NW Ghana - def 1983
Nikopolis - ref 1983
Komarno - rej 2008
Santiniketan - withd 2011
Sri Harimandir Sahib - withd 2005
Jakarta - withd 2018
Babylon - def 1983
Journies of Jesus - withd 2010
Cascata delle marmore - withd 2007
Seville (Jamaica) - rej 1988
Port Royal - rej 1988
As-Salt - def 2017
Pella - rej 1985
Grobina - as Viking serial def 2015
Tripoli/Mina - ref 1984
Trakai - withd 2005
Coral stone mosques - def 1988
Knights fortification - def 1999
Azougui - def 2005
Cetinje - withd 2016
El Gour - ref 1988
Teylers - withd 2013
Oyo - rej 1988
Vestfold - as Viking serial def 2015
Harappa - rej 1980
Rani Kot - rej 1984
Gdansk - withd 2007
Raia - Marvao withd 2006
Seoul wall - withd 2016
Densus - def 1990
Tirgu Jui - withd 2015
Neamt - def 1999
Sibiu - def 2007
Meadows of Slovakia - withd 2005
Kosice - rej 1994
Jaen (ext) - withd 2014
La rioja - def 2015
Plasencia, Monfrague, Trujillo - withd 2012
Talayotic Minorca - def 2017
Silver Route - def 2010
ANana - withd 2014
Suakin - def 1996
Phuphrabat - withd 2016
Sumela - def 1989
Darwin's lab - def 2010
Wearmouth/Jarrow - withd 2012
Kiev extension - def 2012
Mt Vernon - withd 2010
Ziwa - def 1999

Ai Khanoum - def 1983
Setif - def 1981
Cerro Colorado - def 1987
Tonglushan - def 1990
Popoyan - rej 1989
Nicoya - rej 1980
Orosi - rej 1980
Guayabo - rej 1983
San Jose - rej 1980
National Theatre of Costa Rica - rej 1980
Ujarras - def 1981
Santa Rosa - def 1981
Pula - def 1997
Troodos ext - withd 2006
Kourion - def 1985
Wine villages of Cyprus - rej 2004
Kladruby - rej 1994
Adulis - def 1981
Matara - def 1981
Yeha - def 1981
Brou - rej 1985
Magdeburg - rej 1999
Freiburg - def 1987
Heidelberg - def 2007
Schwetzingen - def 2012
Akrotiri - def 1989
Demak - rej 1984
Selinunte - def 1987
Ostia - def 1987
Spanish Town - def 1988
Issyk-Kul - withd 2005
Abava - rej 2000
Jurmala - rej 2001
Kosrags - def 1987
Monuments of Freedom Riga - rej 1991
Ptolemais - withd 1995
Echternach - def 1987
Vianden - rej 2013
Monterrey - withd 2010
San Luis Potosi - def 2010 as part of serial
Khovsgol - rej 2008
Birni Gazargamu - def 1981
Eidsvoll - rej 1980
Kjerringoy - rej 1980
Molen - def 1979
Heidal - rej 1980
Vingen - def 1979
Hunza, Gilgit, Chilas - def 1981
Manila - rej 1989
Jesuit Philippines - def 1989
Jasna Gora - def 1991
Krzeszow - withd 2005
Yenissey bridge - rej 2003
Kysuce-Orava railway - def 1996
St Vincenc de Cardona - rej 1989
Gerona - rej 1989
Cambridge - def 1989
Loch Erne - def 1987
Menai and Conwy bridges - rej 1988
Navan Fort - rej 1989
St David's Close - withd 1987
Palacio legislativo de Uruguay - rej 1996
Edison NHS - rej 1980
Pu'uhonua - def 1987
Savannah - def 1995

Thanks. So what conclusions can be drawn from the list??
I made a few minor changes -added Khor Dubai and Klondyke from 2018 - both "Withdrawn"?? I also altered any sites marked as "known not to be renominated" unless they have officially been removed from that country's T List. I am sure that the ones you have identified are highly unlikely ever to see the light of day again but it seems best to keep the actual status different from the guess - even if an "educated" one!
So - the list of Cultural Sites which have been Nominated but not inscribed or referred is only 156 long.
Of these
31 Have been completely removed from T List - i.e the State Party (SPs) seems to have accepted that the site won't be nominated again. The vast majority of these come from just a few SPs who have actually "cleared out" at least some "Rejects/Defers" etc from their old T Lists. UK. Ger, Nor, Lat and Lux account for all but 4 of them (one of the 4 was the Russian Yenisei Bridge which has been demolished and another was Savannah which US law would virtually prevent ever gaining inscription)!! 25 of the 31 were nominated pre-2000. But even some of these may not actually be "dead". E.g UK has removed Navan from its list - but it has "promised" Ireland that it would put it back on if they wanted to progress with a serial nomination of Irish Castles (it is actually mentioned in the Irish T List description)!
So -
125 are STILL on T Lists - this would seem to indicate a remarkable "reluctance" to really "kill off" an "unsuccessful" site!!
Of these latter, the WHC decisions were
54 - Deferred. Of these 21 go back to nomination in the 1980s . But some have in fact moved off T Lists and then come back on. Eg 4 for Eritrea which were Ethiopian when nominated. And Melka Kunture, which Ethiopia took off its T List and then put back on. 21 were nominated since 2000 - there would seem to be every chance that the SP might come back with many of these. Ok - some, like Darwin's lab, Jarrow and Luhakovice (This latter not Czechia's choice but that of the other Spa towns which have dumped it) are probably "dead" but many others such as the Maldive Coral Mosques, Zatec, Nimes etc etc are far from being so!
26 - Rejected. All except 5 of these were pre 2000 and 18 were from the 1980s. But the fact that they were rejected then can't be taken to mean that they are "dead". E.g Port Royal -"rejected" in 1988 is up for consideration in 2019!!
45 - Withdrawn. All except 1 of these (from Libya which has had other things on its plate since then) have been withdrawn since 2004 and there is every reason to expect that most of them are going to be brought back in at some time!! Who knows even with Khor Dubai!!!!

My view is that this list demonstrates very well that once an SP has decided that a Cultural site is worth nominating then the chances of it gaining inscription after a setback - via repackaging as a different (serial?) site, going for a different/better expressed OUV, waiting for a change in policy/fashion/WHC membership etc etc is very high. The number of sites which will completely fall by the wayside is remarkably small - and even some of these demonstrate "Zombie " characteristics!

(I have a "sortable spreadsheet with columns for Year of WHC, decision, SP etc which I could put up if you wish to play with the data to identify your own "patterns" and conclusions)

That would be great, Solivagant.


Khor Dubai should be out, as it has been referred once, which means (at least in principle) that OUV has been recognised for the site.


And even there some of these sites have been cleared for technical reasons (e.g. Cambridge) rather than acknowledged lack of OUV.


Some of these rely on official statements from the sites. Innsbruck or Francke Foundations for example have officially given up their WHS aspirations despite still being on the T-list.


Not quite - There are also sites from Afghanistan, Algeria, Argentina, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Ethiopia, France, Greece, Indonesia, Italy, Jamaica, Kyrgyzstan, Lybia, Mexico, Mongolia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, Uruguay and USA.
I think the mistake lies in the total number - you cite 31 fitting sites whereas there are in fact 65 cultural FTWHS that have been deferred, rejected or withdrawn. This is the second list above. The total list (with your correct addition of Klondike) comprises of 155 sites - 90 are still on the T-list and 65 have been removed.