Alexandra Palace's defunct TV studios could become a World Heritage Site.

Alexandra Palace reached a “milestone” in its history as it took the first step towards applying to become a UNESCO World Heritage site.

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The Alexandra Palace and Park Trust board has given the go-ahead to plans which could eventually see UNESCO’s board in Paris ruling on whether part of the iconic building should be as highly regarded as the likes of Stonehenge and the Tower of London.

The bid focuses on the cultural value of the Palace’s south-east wing, which housed the world’s first high-definition television broadcast in November 1936.

It is hoped the bid, regardless of its success, will spark the regeneration of the BBC studios and the whole south-east wing, which has fallen into disrepair.

Campaigner Cliver Carter, whose suggestion to pursue World Heritage status was endorsed by the trustees last week, said: “I would say it is a milestone in the history of the trust. They needed a big goal and it doesn’t come much bigger than this.”

But there is a long way to go. Mr Carter believes the World Heritage Site bid will not be looked at in more detail for about a year.

“It is a long road - I’ve known that all along and so have most people,” he said. “They have got to fulfil certain criteria.”

The campaign to endorse Alexandra Palace as a World Heritage Site has garnered support from a number of high profile names, including former BBC chairman Lord Michael Grade, Iain Logie Baird, grandson of television’s inventor John Logie Baird, and London Mayor Boris Johnson.