A GRADE II listed Barry landmark will be disposed of to a mystery developer following an agreement by Vale Council cabinet members, behind closed doors.

Councillors agreed the Hydraulic Pumphouse, at the Innovation Quarter, on The Waterfront should be disposed of - subject to Welsh Government consent.

The Vale Council and Welsh Government were joint venture partners for the development of the Innovation Quarter and were working together to secure an appropriate sustainable end use for the building.

Marketing for the development began in the autumn of 2012.

Only three non-compliant bids were submitted by the deadline of April 15, 2013.

A report put before cabinet, December 16, said: “A developer has now come forward with an ambitious and promising high quality mixed use scheme concept that has the potential to bring the property back into beneficial use, creating opportunities for living and working in the property along with accommodating commercial uses.

“Importantly the scheme concept put forward will complement the mixed use urban quarter vision for the Innovation Quarter.

"The developer has requested that in advance of a disposal contract being in place their ideas for bringing the property back into beneficial use is not reported publicly as this is commercially confidential information.”

The report added the proposal to dispose of the property to the developer, followed careful consideration by the Project Board of the unsuccessful marketing exercise by Savills, the unsuccessful outcome of the Viable and Vibrant grant application and the various options for the future of the Hydraulic Pumphouse.