Search on for potential UNESCO World Heritage sites

DCMS is asking places to put themselves forward for UNESCO World Heritage status.

Bids are reviewed every 10 years by a panel of heritage experts and "only locations with the potential to be inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List will be put forward to formal nomination," the department says.

A tentative list of sites that currently includes Scottish Flow Country and Gracehill in Northern Ireland will be updated later this year and given to the World Heritage Committee in 2024. 

There are currently 33 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the UK, including Stonehenge, The Tower of London, Hadrian's Wall and, more recently, the slate landscape of north west Wales. Liverpool lost its status last year due to development on its waterfront.

Heritage Minister Nigel Huddleston encouraged applications: "As well as international acclaim, UNESCO status boosts tourism and creates employment and economic growth opportunities."