DORSET residents are being offered the chance to help shape the future of England’s only World Heritage Site.

As part of its prestigious status, awarded by UNESCO in 2001, the steering group behind the 95-mile stretch of the Jurassic Coast between Studland and Exmouth in Devon has to come up with management plans.

The document, which sets out how the coast will be protected, conserved and used for public benefit, was last updated in 2003 and is now being revised for 2009 to 2014.

Anyone who lives or works on or near the site, visits it or has an interest in its future, has the chance to have their say on the plan for the next five years before it is finalised.

The steering group said it wanted to hear whether people valued the site, what it meant to them and whether they had any worries over its management.

Don Gobbett, chairman of the steering group, said: “We have one of the most amazing coastlines in the world, which rightly deserves its World Heritage status.

“We all have a tremendous responsibility to look after it. We want people to tell us what is going well and what we could do better.”

Download the plan at jurassiccoast.com/plan, or call 01305 221000 for a copy. Alternatively, e-mail consult@jurassiccoast.com or write to Draft Management Plan, Jurassic Coast Team, Dorset County Council, County Hall, Dorchester, DT1 1XJ.

The plan will also be available in public libraries along the coast and the deadline for comments is June 9.