The Portsmouth Society's steering group leading the proposals is calling for its partners to make comments on government proposals which could make or break Portsmouth, Gosport, Fareham and parts of the north coast of the Isle of Wight's attempt to j
oin the Pyramids, the Great Barrier Reef and the Taj Mahal on the prestigious list.
Project leader Dr Celia Clark said: 'The Department for Culture, Media and Sport offered three choices.
'It says we can make no more applications because of the credit crunch, stay with the current system in which only one site can be nominated each year, or make a new list, which we want because we hope it will deliver results more quickly.
'We have until February 25 to respond, then until July to complete our application.'
Because the bid, based on Portsmouth's historic and modern naval importance, would also include Spithead with its maritime wrecks, the proposals would make Portsmouth the world's only 'Cultural Seascape'.
Dr Clark said: 'Portsmouth and its surroundings are genuinely unique across the world. There's nowhere like it and given Portsmouth's history and that of the UK, very few places have had such an influence on the world.'
The steering group's official launch was held in January, since when its members have held meetings with all six local authorities whose land would be included.
It has also had meetings with 150 local interest groups, most recently last night, when members were joined by a Unesco representative and Ryde Parish Council for a public presentation and question and answer session at George Street Centre, Ryde.
