The BBC has taken the first step towards selling its London home, Television Centre.

In the summer the corporation unveiled proposals for a multimillion pound redevelopment of the site as a 9-hectare (23-acre) “creative quarter” for independent TV production firms, performing groups, and media companies such as YouTube.

The Guardian has learned that plans about the next stage of the redevelopment has been drawn up and will be put before the BBC’s finance committee next month. Also the commercial property consultants Lambert Smith Hampton (LSH) have been appointed.

A BBC insider said: “More details about what the BBC plans to do with TV Centre are going to [the director general] Mark Thompson and finance executives in the first couple of weeks of December.”

LSH has worked for the BBC before – advising on the disposal of the corporation’s Manchester headquarters following the move to the new MediaCity:UK centre in Salford.

The sale of the 50-year-old BBC Television Centre – which is home to shows such as Newsnight and Blue Peter — is a key part of the corporation’s overall property strategy. It involves moving several thousand staff to MediaCity:UK and the recently redeveloped Broadcasting House in central London.

All news staff are being housed together in Broadcasting House after a £1bn revamp, which has now been completed.

Around 2,300 staff in children’s, sport, learning, future media and technology departments and Radio 5 Live are to move from London to Salford by 2012.

Then the BBC plans to sell Television Centre to developers, but will rent back some of the studios to continue making programmes at the site. It may also lease some space to house its commercial wing BBC Worldwide and an orchestra.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has listed Television Centre’s central ring – or “concrete doughnut” – that often features on-screen in BBC promotions. The centre’s Studio One, which were designed by Graham Dawbarn of Norman Dawbarn, is also listed.

The rest of the centre – parts of which are crumbling and likely to be demolished to make way for new buildings – could become home to independent production companies, other media organisations and performing arts companies.

Although the BBC is selling Television Centre it will retain a presence in west London. Programme-making staff not being transferred to Salford or Broadcasting House – including senior creative directors and some BBC Vision staff – are to move into the White City building and Media Centre 500 metres north Television Centre.

A BBC spokesman declined to comment on next month’s finance committee meeting but admitted property advisers have been appointed.

“Lambert Smith Hampton have a long-standing relationship with the BBC. There was a competitive tender to advise on Television Centre and they put in a bid and were successful.”