Viewers can vote for Llanelly House

The passionate conservationist will present Restoration, a new BBC 2 series where viewers will be asked to choose one of 30 historic buildings that deserve to be rescued from ruin.

Each will have a celebrity advocate, although it is yet to be decided who will fight the corner for Llanelly House.

After decades of neglect, the prominent 18th Century grade one listed building in the centre of the town has been recognised as the finest example of its kind in Wales.

Griff Rhys Jones will present the show

It was bought in 1998 by Llanelli Town Council, but it is estimated that returning it to its former glory as a cultural and heritage centre could cost in excess of �3m.

Ten one-hour programmes will each be devoted to a geographical area of the UK - with a whole programme dedicated to Wales.

Winning building

In the Welsh programme, Llanelly House will be competing with the Faenol estate near Caernarfon and a joint scheme involving Plas Mountain Copper Mine and Amlwch Port.

Every style will be featured, from cottages and castles to factories and chapels.

At the end of each programme viewers will be invited to vote for the building they would most like to see restored.

Each winner will go through to a final shortlist of 10 when the series will climax with a live programme where the public will decide which property is most worthy of restoration.

The project director at Llanelly House is William Wilkins, the man behind Middleton - The National Botanic Garden of Wales.

"It's the finest example of an 18th Century town house in Wales," he said.

Paintings and panelling

"The restoration of a house like this is of considerable value in terms of the Llanelli economy and the regeneration of the town centre.

"To bring a first class building like this into play would enhance the image of Llanelli and west Wales.

"One of the things that is so exciting is we have uncovered 18th Century paintings and panelling that is of immense interest."

Completed in 1714, the three-storey property was built for Sir Thomas Stepney, but has since been broken up into a mix of commercial and residential uses.

The town council is applying for funding from the project from both the Heritage Lottery Fund and Cadw.