Chatham's Historic Dockyard is one step closer to being declared a World Heritage Site.

The tourist attraction is one of 11 places in the UK that have been shortlisted by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport.

The tentative list will now be submitted to a UNESCO committee of 21 members from across the globe, who will consider the applications. A decision is expected to be reached next year.

Chatham's bid includes the dockyard and its defences, Brompton Barracks, Old Brompton, Fort Amherst and the Great Lines.

The boundary was extended in 2009 to include the River Medway and link the main site to Upnor Castle.

Securing World Heritage status from UNESCO would see Chatham join the lofty ranks of sites such as the Great Barrier Reef, Taj Mahal and Grand Canyon.

Last month, the dockyard was visited by culture secretary Jeremy Hunt, who toured the site.

Tourism and heritage minister John Penrose said: "Few places in the world can match the wealth of wonderful heritage we have available in the UK.

"The 11 places that make up the new UK tentative list are fantastic examples of both our cultural and natural heritage and I believe they have every chance of joining famous names like the Sydney Opera House and the Canadian Rockies to become World Heritage Sites.

"I'd like to thank the independent expert panel chaired by Sue Davies who have been through all our nominations in detail to make sure the shortlist we now have gives us the best chance of success when putting forward any of these sites to UNESCO in future."

The 11 sites have been chosed from 38 applications.