The BBC has selected a preferred bidder for its Welsh headquarters in Llandaff, Cardiff.
It has chosen Taylor Wimpey to redevelop the 240,000 sq ft Broadcasting House and an adjacent site, which together total 17 acres.
The decision is subject to approval by the corporation’s board.
Originally built in 1966, Broadcasting House is home to the BBC’s Cymru operation, which is due to move to Rightacre’s Centre Square scheme in 2016.
Sainsbury’s had been selected to buy the 10.5-acre Broadcasting House site, with Taylor Wimpey lined up for the seven-acre site next door.
But the supermarket giant pulled out of the deal after losing confidence in the strength of demand in the suburb to support a major retail development and Taylor Wimpey has now been selected for both sites.
Local sources expect the sites, if combined, to accommodate between 500 and 1,000 homes, with a GDV of up to £250m.
Taylor Wimpey is understood to have made a bid of about £25m for the sites.
Funds raised from the sale of Broadcasting House will be recycled into the fit-out of the BBC’s new Welsh headquarters in Cardiff.
A BBC Wales spokesperson declined to comment on the decision, but said: “We remain in commercial discussions regarding the sale of our existing sites in Llandaff.”
The sale comes as the Welsh housing market begins to recover, with 9% more homes started in 2013-14 than in the previous year.
Lambert Smith Hampton is advising the BBC on the sale; Taylor Wimpey is unrepresented.
chris.berkin@estatesgazette.com
