THE bid to gain international recognition and protect part of the borough as a World Heritage Site has moved one step closer.
Councillors endorsed documents for the proposed site which will now be sent to English Heritage and then the Department of Culture, Media and Sport.
The documents include comments from the public, including Downe Residents' Association, following consultation.
Association chairman Derek Powell told News Shopper he hoped Heritage Site status would see Downe village revived.
He said: "We don't have any shops at the moment so it would be nice to get back our post office and shop."
The site includes Darwin's home, Down House, in Downe, parts of Cudham village and Keston Common.
Proposals will be forwarded to the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) by February next year and a decision on the Heritage Site will be made in June 2007.
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