PLANS have been launched to erect a monument in Purbeck marking the Dorset end of England's only World Heritage Site - the Jurassic Coast.

The stunning coastline, which shares the same protected status as Australia's Great Barrier reef, stretches 95 miles from Swanage to Orcombe Point in Exmouth.

An obelisk made from Portland stone called the Geoneedle was built at Orcombe Point in Exmouth in 2002 to mark the gateway to the Jurassic Coast, and was unveiled by the Prince of Wales.

Now Dorset County Council has applied for planning permission to erect a 3m obelisk, made from Portland stone quarried in Purbeck, at Studland Point, Swanage, to mark the official boundary of the site.

A spokesman for the county council, which already has permission from the National Trust to build the monument at Studland Point, said: "Devon led the way when it put up the Geoneedle in Exmouth and we think it's important to mark the site from our end."

He added that it was too early to say how long it would take to process the plans or how much the stone landmark would cost.

The stretch of coast received its special status in 2001 when the Unesco World Heritage Committee met in Helsinki, in Finland, ranking it alongside other world-famous landmarks such as the Grand Canyon.

The geological walk charts 185 million years of the earth's geological history covering the triassic, jurassic and cretaceous periods. It includes dinosaur footprints, a fossil forest and one of the most famous building materials in the UK, Portland stone.

First published: February 1, 2006