Qatari royal family on Village bid list

The Qatar royal family's property company is one of nine bids shortlisted to take over the athletes village after the London 2012 Olympics.

Qatari Diar owns the Chelsea Barracks and is known to be on the lookout for other high-profile acquisitions in the city. Other bids shortlisted have come from the Wellcome Foundation and building giant Sir Robert McAlpine.

Up to 4,000 apartments will become available after the Games and the proximity to the super-quick Javelin train link to central London has helped stimulate interest. It also means there is renewed confidence the £650m of public money invested in the project can be recovered.

Olympic Delivery Authority chief executive David Higgins said: "Securing a shortlist with many of the leading property investors and managers both in the UK and around the world takes us an important step towards ensuring the Village becomes one of the strongest legacies from the Games."