Six high-profile UK architects have been shortlisted to revive the Crystal Palace at its former site in south London.

Zhongrong Group, a Chinese developer, last year revealed £500m plans to rebuild the Victorian landmark as a “cultural visitor attraction”, sparking interest from roughly 40 architecture practices worldwide.

The half-dozen chosen to go through to the next stage include Dame Zaha Hadid, designer of the Aquatic Centre in the Olympic Park, with artist Sir Anish Kapoor; Sir Nicholas Grimshaw, responsible for the National Space Centre in Leicester and the Eden Project in Cornwall; and David Chipperfield, who designed the Turner Contemporary gallery in Margate and the Hepworth Wakefield gallery in Yorkshire.

Marks Barfield, designers of the Gatwick North terminal extension, is another. Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners, the architects behind the Millennium Dome and One Hyde Park, and Haworth Tompkins, which restored the Royal Court Theatre on Sloane Square, complete the line-up. The winning architect is expected to be announced in the summer.

Boris Johnson has been an enthusiast for the Chinese investment plans. Commenting on the “stellar” shortlist, the London mayor said: “The rebuild of the Crystal Palace is set to produce an extraordinary new landmark for the capital, which will support the rebirth of this historic park and catalyse jobs and growth in the local area.”

Sir Joseph Paxton’s spectacular Victorian glass and iron construction, which housed the Great Exhibition of 1851, was moved from Hyde Park to the 180-acre park in south London, but was destroyed in a catastrophic fire in 1936.

Arup, the engineering group, is the lead consultant on the new building, which will include exhibition space, a hotel, conference facilities, galleries and sales rooms – a range of uses its organisers say will create up to 2,000 jobs.

Bromley council would remain the landowner under an agreement with Zhongrong, but fears have been raised by some local residents and politicians over the potential loss of green space and the process for agreeing the deal.

Darren Johnson, London Assembly member for the Green party, wrote to Stephen Carr, leader of Bromley council, warning that the land deal with Zhongrong “will effectively put a large part of Crystal Palace Park in private hands, with little or no accountability to the residents of the wider Crystal Palace area.”

> via Financial Times