Measures to speed up the delivery of homes on two of the five new neighbourhoods planned for Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park have moved a step closer.

Six developers have been shortlisted for the next stage of the bidding process.

The chosen consortia will build 650 new private sector and affordable homes in the Sweetwater neighbourhood located in the south west of the Park near Old Ford and the Copper Box Arena.

It will also comprise of 870 mixed tenure homes in East Wick located in the north west of the Park near Hackney Wick.

Over the next few months the London Legacy Development Corporation will explore with the bidders their outline development plans before selecting a shortlist of up to three.

Finalists will work up plans in more detail before submitting final tenders in the summer. A decision on the final development partner will be made in autumn 2014.

Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: “These neighbourhoods are about far more than bricks and mortar but about creating living, vibrant communities with a range of housing choices for Londoners, sitting at the heart of a dynamic new quarter of the capital.”

Dennis Hone, Chief Executive of the London Legacy Development Corporation, said: “We are entering the most exciting stage in the transformation of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

The south of the Park opens to the public on April 5, work will start on the first new neighbourhood, Chobham Manor, in the summer, and our plans for a new educational and cultural quarter with the V&A and UCL are taking shape.

We are creating a new part of the city and these neighbourhoods will be at its heart.”

Under the masterplan 6,800 new homes will be built across the five neighbourhoods with 4,000 jobs created.

Pick up a copy of today’s Newham Recorder for all the news from the opening of the Lee Valley VeloPark